


Class '3 

Book 1 /'i'^ 

Copyright N° 

COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT. 




AT THE 




OR, 


A NAMELESS HISTORY. 


BY 


E. MARL ITT. 


d 




« • 


0 i 

r 


TRANSLATED FROM THE GERMAN 

BY MRS. A. L. WISTER, 

tSANBLATOB OF “THE OREEN GATE,” “THE SECOND WIFE,” “ OHLT A QIBI.,* 
“ HULDA.” “ THE OLD MAM’SELLE’S 8ECKET,” ETC. 



PHILAD E LPHI a; 

J. B. LIPPINCOTT COMPANY. 


1904. 





AT THE COUNCILLOR’S. 


CHAPTER I. 

The rays of a December sun shone dimly into a room in 
the large castle mill, calling forth feeble sparks of light from 
the strange objects lying on the broad stone window-sill, and 
then vanishing in a bank of snow-clouds that were rising 
slowly but steadily in the west. The objects sparkling so 
strangely on the window-sill were some portion of a sur- 
geon’s apparatus *, those instruments the cold, steely glitter of 
which startles the eye and sends a shudder through the nerves 
of many a brave man. A huge bedstead, the head and foot- 
board clumsily painted with gaudy roses and carnations, and 
piled with feather-beds and patchwork quilts, stood directly 
in the broad light from the window, and upon this bed lay 
the castle miller. The skilful hand of the physician had just 
relieved him of a tumour in the throat that had several times 
threatened his life with suffocation. It had been a perilous 
undertaking, but . the young man who now pulled down the 
window-shade and began to put up his instruments looked 
entirely satisfied, — the operation had succeeded. 

The invalid, who shortly before, when only partly under 
the influence of chloroform, had pushed away the hand of the 
physician, abusing him in a hoarse voice as a robber and mur- 
derer, now lay quiet and exhausted among the pillows. He 
had been forbidden to talk, — surely an unnecessary prohibi- 
tion, for it would have been difficult to find a face bearing so 

1 * 6 


6 


AT THE COUNCILLORS, 


uumistakable an impress of dull taciturnity as did this square, 
clumsy countenance, which had but one beauty to boast of, — 
the thick, silvery hair that enclosed it as in a frame. 

“ Are you satisfied, Bruck ?”* asked a gentleman, who now 
approached the physician from the foot of the bed, where he 
had been standing. His handsome features wore an expression 
of keen anxiety. 

The doctor nodded. “ All right so far ; the patient’s strong 
constitution will stand him in stead now,” he said, quietly, 
glancing towards the old man. “ At present all depends upon 
the nursing ; I must leave. For some time he must not stir 
from his present position. There must be no hemorrhage 
from the wound ” 

“ I will see to that,” the other interrupted him, eagerly ; “I 
will stay as long as careful watching is needed. Will you not 
leave word at the villa that I shall not come back to tea ?” 

A slight fiush mounted to the physician’s cheek, and there 
was some embarrassment in the tone of his reply : “I cannot 
go round through the park. I must get to town as quickly 
as possible ” 

“You have not seen Flora to-day, doctor ” 

“I know that well enough. I ” He paused, com- 

pressed his lips, and took up his case of instruments. “ I have 
some patients very ill,” he went on, calmly: “ the little Lenz 
girl will die before to-morrow morning. I cannot save the 
child, but the parents, who are utterly exhausted with nursing 
and anxiety, are counting the moments while I am away from 
them ; the mother will eat only when I insist upon it.” 

He approached the bed, where the sick man raised his 
eyes to him with a look of perfect consciousness ; there was 
even a glimmer of gratitude in them for the sudden and un- 
speakable relief he had experienced. He would have taken his 


♦ PronouLced Brook. 


AT THE COUNCILLORS. 


7 


benefactor’s hand, but the latter imposed quiet with his own, 
as he reiterated the necessity for avoiding all motion whatever. 
“ The councillor will remain here, Herr Sommer,” he added, 
“ and see that my injunctions are strictly obeyed.” 

This seemed to content the old man; he looked towards 
the councillor, who confirmed by a nod the physician’s words, 
and then he closed his eyes as if to try to sleep. Doctor Bruck 
took his hat, gave his hand to the councillor, and left the 
room. 

To an anxious wife seated by the bedside of the patient his 
departure would have been the signal for a weary sense of 
forlornness, — -the opposite of the fresh courage with which his 
coming inspired the poor mother who took needful nourish- 
ment only at his request. But no such loving anxiety 
watched by this man’s couch. The old housekeeper, who 
came into the room to put it in order after the doctor’s visit, 
looked coldly indifferent; she flitted about like a bat, and 
seemed much more distressed by a few drops of water that 
marred the polish upon one of her tables than by the danger 
that had threatened her master’s life. 

“ Pray let that be for the present, Susie,” the councillor 
said, in his most courteous tone. “ Your rubbing that table 
makes a noise very irritating to the nerves; Doctor Bruck 
prescribes absolute repose for Papa.” 

Susie hastily picked up housecloth and broom, and betook 
herself to her neat and shining kitchen, there to forget the 
stains upon the table. As perfect quiet as was possible in the 
mill reigned in the room she had left ; up through the floor 
came the continuous, measured beat of machinery ; the water 
tumbling over the weir outside sang its perpetual refrain, and 
now and then the doves fluttered against the window-pane, or 
cooed in the branches of the ancient chestnuts, through which 
the western light faintly illumined the room. These mingled 
noises did not exist as such for the sick man, however : they 


8 


AT THE COUNCILLORS. 


were as much part and parcel of his existence as the beating 
of his heart. 

It was indeed a repulsive face which the elegant figure at 
the bedside watched, according to his promise, so carefully. 
Its coarseness, the hard lines of low vulgarity about the pen- 
dulous nether lip, had never so impressed and disgusted him 
as now, when sleep or exhaustion had robbed it of force and 
revealed all its original characteristics. Yes, the old man 
had begun life low enough in the scale, as a hard-worked mill- 
servant, but he was now the owner of untold wealth ; trade 
had made a money-monarch of the invalid upon the clumsy 
old bedstead ; and this fact, doubtless, had something to do 
with the familiar epithet of “ Papa” bestowed upon him by 
the councillor, who was not bound to him by any tie of blood. 
The councillor had married the daughter of the deceased 
banker Mangold by his first wife. For his second, Mangold 
had wooed and won the daughter of the old miller. This 
was all the relationship that existed between the miller and 
his nurse. 

The councillor arose and stepped softly to the window. He 
was a man of vivacious temperament, and sitting still in this 
way made him nervous ; he could not bear the constant gazing 
upon that unsympathetic face, those coarse, sinewy fists, now 
buried in the down coverlet, which had once wielded the whip 
above the mill-horses. The chestnuts before the window had 
long since shed their last leaf; every opening left in the 
tracery of their boughs formed a rural landscape picture,, each 
lovelier than the other, although for the moment the dark 
December sky dimmed the lustre that was refiected from the 
little lake, and veiled in misty gloom the hazy purple of the 
distant mountain-tops. 

There, on the right, the river, after turning the wheels of 
the castle mill, made a sudden bend ; a frame-work of boughs 
on that aide enclosed a strip of its shining course, and a struo- 


AT THE COUNCILLOR'S. 


9 


ture tbfe purposes of which it was made to serve, a huge, 
square, unornamented stone building, with rows of window^^ 
enhancing its naked ugliness. This was the councillor’s fac- 
tory. He too was a rich man ; he employed hundreds of 
weavers at clattering looms, and this property of his placed 
him in a kind of dependent position with regard to the castle 
miller. The mill, built hundreds of years before by a lord of 
the land, had been endowed with immense prerogatives, which, 
still in force, controlled a considerable stretch of the river, and 
were irritating enough to the dwellers upon its banks. Upon 
these prerogatives the burly master of the castle mill took his 
stand, and showed his teeth to any one who dared to lay a 
finger upon his rights. Once only a tenant of the mill, he 
had slowly but surely stretched forth the arms of his growing 
wealth, until not only the mill was his own, but also the baro- 
nial estate to which it had originally belonged. This he had 
accomplished shortly before the marriage of his only child 
to the respectable banker Mangold. The extensive forests 
and farm-land upon the estate were all that the miller cared 
for ; the magnificent villa in the midst of its stately park had 
always been an eye-sore to him ; nevertheless, he had kept the 
“ costly toy” in perfect repair, for the pleasure of seeing his 
daughter rule as mistress where the former haughty lord had 
always disdained even to answer his salute. The councillor 
now rented the villa ; there was every reason, therefore, that 
he should be upon the best terms with his landlord, and one 
who possessed such control of the river. And this was the 
case : the councillor was as a docile son to the surly old man. 

Four o’clock struck from the factory tower, and the gas in- 
stantly lit up the counting-room windows. Twilight came on 
early indeed on this afternoon : the air was filled with that 
moisture that brings snow; the smoke from city chimneys 
hung low over the earth, while the slate roof of the factory 
and every stone door-step were glassy with intense damp ; the 


10 


AT THE COUNCILLOR'S. 


doves, until now huddled together upon the bare chestnut- 
boughs, suddenly left them and flew to the warm, dry dove- 
cote. The councillor looked back into the room with a shiver. 
By contrast it looked almost comfortable and cosy to the man 
to whose refined taste it was usually so repulsive, with its 
constant smell of cooking, its smoky ceiling, and the coarse 
prints here and there upon the walls; but Susie had just 
replenished the fire in the stove with pine wood, the old- 
fashioned sofa against the wall looked inviting with its huge 
soft cushions, and upon the bright panes of glass in the recess- 
door the last gleams of daylight were reflected. Ah, behind 
that door stood the iron safe : had he remembered to take 
out the key ? 

Just before the operation, the miller had made his will ; as 
Doctor Bruck and the councillor entered the room, they met 
the lawyers and witnesses leaving it. Although outwardly 
composed, the patient must have gone through much agitation 
of mind : his hand had evidently been uncertain, for in putting 
away his papers he had left one of them lying upon the table. 
Noticing this omission, after the doctor’s arrival he had re- 
quested the councillor to lock it up in the safe. A second 
door led from the recess where the safe was placed into an 
antechamber, and there were all sorts of people continually 
coming and going in the mill. The councillor had put away 
the paper, but left the door of the safe unlocked, — an inex- 
cusable neglect, — and he hastily went to the little room. 
What would the old man, who guarded this precious place of 
deposit like a dragon, have said at seeing his money thus 
exposed ! No one could possibly have entered the room, the 
councillor consoled himself by thinking ; the slightest noise 
could not have escaped him; but he would make sure that 
everything was in order. 

He opened the iron folding-doors as noiselessly as possible ; 
there were the money-bags untouched, and before the packets 


AT THE COUNCILLOR'S. 




of valuable papers were ranged columns of glittering gold 
pieces. He glanced rapidly over the paper, which in his for- 
mer natural haste and agitation he had put carelessly into one 
of the neatly-arranged pigeon-holes : it was an inventory of 
the miller’s entire possessions. What enormous sums those 
rows of figures represented ! He carefully put it where it be- 
longed, and in doing so he accidentally overthrew one of the 
columns of gold pieces : a number of napoleons fell noisily 
upon the fioor. What an ugly sound they made I He had 
touched money belonging to another ! A mixture of terror 
and uncalled-for shame sent the colour to his cheeks; he 
stooped in haste to pick up the money. As he did so, a heavy 
body fell upon him from behind, and hard, coarse fingers 
clutched his throat. 

“ You scoundrel, I am not dead yet !” the miller hissed in 
his ear, in a strange, muffled tone. There was a momentary 
struggle ; all the councillor’s strength and vigor were neces- 
sary to shake off the old man, who clung to him like a pan- 
ther, grasping his throat so tightly that a shower of sparks 
seemed to flash before his eyes ; he seized with both hands 
the mass that weighed him down, gave one strong thrust 
and push, and he was on his feet and free, while the miller 
staggered against the wall. 

“ Are you mad. Papa ?” he gasped, breathlessly. - “ What 
vile suspicions ! ” He paused in horror : the bandage be- 

neath the old man’s whitening face suddenly became crimson, 
and the dreadful colour crept rapidly downward over his 
white night-dress. This was the hemorrhage that was to 
have been so carefully guarded against. 

The councillor’s teeth chattered as in a fever-fit. Was this 
misfortune his fault ? “ No, no,” he said to himself instantly, 
as he put his arm around the invalid to support him to his 
bed ; but the old man thrust him away angrily, and pointed 
to the scattered gold ; each piece had to be carefully picked 


12 


AT THE COUNCILLORS. 


up and arranged in place ; in care for his money he eithei 
forgot or ignored the danger that threatened him. Not until 
the councillor had locked the safe and put the key into his 
hand did he totter back into his bedroom, there to fall helpless 
upon the bed ; and when at last, summoned by the councillor’s 
repeated cries for help, two mill-servants and Susie rushed 
into the room, there lay the castle miller on his back, his 
glazing eyes, from which all consciousness seemed to have 
departed, staring downward at the crimson dye which the 
welling life-stream was so rapidly spreading on every side. 

A servant was dispatched to town to summon Doctor 
Bruck, while the housekeeper hurriedly brought water and 
linen. They were of no avail. The councillor anxiously ap- 
plied cloth after cloth to the wound, — the stream would not 
be stayed. There was no doubt of it, an artery had burst. 
How had it happened ? Was the old man’s mental and phys- 
ical excitement alone to blame, or — his heart seemed to stop 
beating at the thought — ^had he in defending himself struck 
and mortally aggravated the wound in the throat ? How can 
there be any exact memory of the moment of defence against 
a furious assault ? Who could tell whether, with murderous 
fingers clutching his throat, and his overcharged brain kin- 
dling thousands of fires in the air, he had seized shoulder or 
throat of his assailant ? Why imagine so ghastly a possibility ? 
Was not the spring out of bed, the excess of rage, quite 
enough to bring on the disaster which the physician had pre- 
dicted would be the result of any sudden movement ? No, 
no, his conscience was clear ; he had nothing to reproach him- 
self with, whatever might have been the cause of this terrible 
event. He had gone to the safe solely in the old man’s in- 
terest ; there had not been in his mind even a fleeting desire 
to possess any of that wealth ; this he was sure of. How 
could he help the low suspicions of the miserable old corn- 
dealer, who saw a possible robber in every man, no mattei 


AT THE COUNCILLOR'S, 


13 


what his position and culture ? Anxiety and horror gave place 
to indignation in the councillor’s mind. This came of his 
amiability, the innate courtesy for which his friends declared 
he was distinguished ; it had often induced him to take upon 
himself responsibilities which had involved him disagreeably. 
Had he but stayed at home, — in his comfortable library, 
at the whist-table, or smoking a cigar in peace I His evil 
genius had prompted him to play the part of self-sacrificing 
nurse, and here he was in this terrible situation, shudder- 
ing with horror and disgust, his hands moistened with the 
blood of the wretch who would have strangled him. 

The minutes were surely weighted with lead I The miller 
now seeiped aware of the peril he had brought upon himself ; 
he did not stir, but his eyes turned anxiously towards the 
door whenever footsteps were heard without ; his hopes for 
rescue lay in the physician. The councillor, dismayed, marked 
the change in his countenance. That ashen hue was the sure 
forerunner of death. 

Susie brought in the lamp ; she had been repeatedly to the 
door to look for Doctor Bruck, and she now stood at the side 
of the bed, shaking her head in mute horror at the sight that 
the faint lamp-light revealed- A few moments more, and the 
miller’s eyes closed. The key, until then clutched convul- 
sively in his hand, fell upon the counterpane. Involuntarily 
the councillor extended his hand to put it away, but as he 
touched the bit of iron the thought suddenly struck him, like 
an unexpected blow, of the aspect this unfortunate accident 
might wear in the eyes of the world. He knew only too well 
what slander could do with its poisonous breath, — how it could 
glide through his halls and apartments, received by men as 
well as by women with malicious satisfaction, ambiguous smiles, 
and finger-pointings. If a single person should say, with a 
shrug, “ Aha, what was Councillor Komer looking for in the 
miller’s safe ?” it would be enough. Such words would not 

2 


14 


AT THE COUNCILLOR'S. 


be spoken by one voice only. Like all fortunate men, he 
numbered many among his acquaintances who envied and 
disliked him ; he knew that it would be everywhere told in 
town to-morrow how the operation had been quite successful, 
but that the irritation produced in the patient by seeing 
the man self-installed as nurse secretly visiting his safe 
had brought on a fatal hemorrhage. And there would be a 
stain upon the name of Romer, the envied favorite of fortune, 
which no legal investigation could remove, for there could 
be no friendly witnesses. Would not his previous honoui- 
able career be suflSicient testimony in his favour ? He laughed 
bitterly to himself as he wiped the drops of cold perspiration 
from his brow. No one knew better than he how ready the 
world is to stigmatize as mere sham any uprightness of char- 
acter as soon as appearances are against it. He leaned over 
the unconscious man, whose temples Susie was bathing with 
spirits, and suddenly regarded him in a different light : should 
he never recover sufficient strength to tell of what had occurred, 
it would be buried with him : there were no other lips to speak 
of it. 

At last the watch-dog barked outside ; hasty steps crossed 
the court-yard and ascended the stairs. Doctor Bruck paused 
for a moment, as if petrified, at the door of the room, then 
silently laid his hat upon the table, and approached the bed. 
The solemn moment that ensued seemed to throb with expec- 
tation of the verdict about to be pronounced. 

“ If he would only come to himself again, Herr Doctor ” 
the housekeeper said, at last, in an anxious whisper. 

“ He will hardly do that,” Doctor Bruck replied, looking 
up from his investigation. All colour had fled from his face. 
“ Be quiet,” he sternly ordered, as Susie was about to break 
out into loud lamentations, “ and tell me why the patient left 
his bed 1” He took the lamp from the table and pointed to 
the floor beside the bed : the planks were sprinkled with blood. 


AT THE COUNCILLOR'S. 


15 


“ That comes from the cloths we have been using,” the 
councillor explained, in a decided tone, although he had grown 
very pale ; while the housekeeper affirmed by all that was 
holy that the castle miller was lying just as the doctor had 
left him when she entered the room. 

Doctor Bruck shook his head. “ This hemorrhage never 
eame on without cause ; it must have been produced by some 
violent agitation.” 

“None that I know of; I assure you, none!” said the 
councillor, meeting the physician’s keen glance with tolerable 
firmness. “ What do you mean by looking at me thus ? 
I cannot see why I should conceal from you that the patient 
had sprung from his bed in an excess of fever, if such had 
been the case.” He would keep to the path he had chosen, 
although the last words seemed to stick in his throat. To 
save mere appearances he sacrificed his honour, he lied with a 
brazen brow ; but then he had not been in fault with regard to 
what had occurred ; his life had fairly been in peril. There 
was not a single consideration that could make an explanation 
of the real facts of the case necessary. 

The physician turned silently away and busied himself with 
his patient. Once or twice the miller opened his eyes, but 
they gazed unmeaningly into space, and the effort to speak 
died away in a rattle in his throat. 

A few hours afterwards. Councillor Rbmer left the castle 
mill. All was over. Across the doors of the recess bioad 
strips of paper were already pasted. As soon as the miller 
breathed his last, the councillor advised the legal authorities 
of the fact, and, like a conscientious, prudent man, saw seals 
placed upon everything before he left the spot. 


16 


AT THE COUNCILLOR'S. 


CHAPTER 11. 

He walked home through the park. The feeble glimmei 
of the mill-lights which accompanied him for a few steps of 
the way vanished behind him, and he went on alone in the 
black darkness. It was not the keen breeze sweeping by him, 
nor the few snow-flakes touching his cheek like some flutter- 
ing bird of night, but the memory of the last few hours, and 
his excited fancy, that made him shiver as if with bitter 
cold. That very afternoon he had left his well-furnished 
table, and along this path, where now the pebbles beneath 
his tread grated discordantly, he had walked, secure, as he 
thought, in the protection of his lucky star ; and now, after 
so short a time, it would almost seem as if he. Councillor 
Rbmer, whose sensitive nerves would not allow him to witness 
the sufl’ering even of a brute, had been partly guilty of the 
death of a fellow-creature. Surely the gods, impatient of a 
mortal lot without a thorn, had envied him, and had thus bur- 
dened his conscience that there might be some infusion of gall 
in the clear stream of his prosperity, — and all for nothing. He 
could be reproached with nothing but silence ; and whom 
could his silence injure? No one, — no one in the wide 
world I Basta 1 no more of this. He turned into the broad 
linden avenue that led directly to the villa. A brilliant 
stream of light was issuing from the windows and glass doors 
of the lower suite of rooms. A life of luxury and enjoyment 
reached out white, rounded arms to him from those rooms, 
beckoning him away from the dark night and all his anxiety. 
He breathed more freely, threw off* the evil influence of the 
last hours, and let it vanish with the sound of the mill-stream 
that was dying away in the distance. 


AT THE COUNCILLOR’S. 


17 


Tliere, around the Frau President Uracli’s tea-table and 
card-tables a numerous evening company was assembled. The 
large, low panes of glass, and the bronze tracery of the balus- 
trade of the balcony outside, permitted an excellent view from 
without of the interior. The bright pictures on the walls, 
the heavy portieres of violet velvet, the chandeliers of gilded 
bronze with their gas-lights shining through pearly glass 
shades, stood out in relief against the surrounding blackness 
of the winter night like a scene upon some fairy stage. A 
sudden gust of wind swept down the avenue, tossing snow- 
flakes and dry linden-leaves madly against the balcony, but 
the hurly-burly had no effect upon the dignified repose reign- 
ing within : there was not even a motion of the airy lace cur- 
tains ; the fire alone flickering upon the marble hearth might 
blaze more brightly for an instant when breathed upon by the 
blast down the chimney. 

The man outside looked in with a sensation of trembling 
delight upon the group assembled there. Not that he saw 
there fair and dark curls, slender women and girls to enchant 
his eye. No; the fairy heralds of spring painted on the 
ceiling extended their rosy flower-filled palms above matronly 
caps, gray hair, and bald heads ; but then the names of 
their owners I — ofl&cers of high rank, pensioned maids of 
honour, and members of the ministry sat at the card-tables, 
or, leaning back in the velvet lounging-chairs, chatted by 
the warm fireside. The arrogant old councillor of medicine, 
Von Bar, was there too. As he dealt the cards, sparks of 
light flashed from the jewels upon his hands, — all gifts from 
royal personages. And these people were in his house, 
Councillor Romer’s house; the ruby wine sparkling in the 
goblets was from his cellar, and the fresh, fragrant straw- 
berries which liveried footmen were handing about in crystal 
saucers had been bought with his money. Frau President 
Urach was his deceased wife’s grandmother, and did the 
B 2^ 


18 


AT THE COUNCILLORS. 


honours in the house of the widower, with unlimited com- 
mand of his means. 

The councillor walked around to the western side of the 
house. Here only two windows on the ground-floor were 
illuminated ; a hanging lamp between the crimson curtains of 
one of them gleamed out into the darkness, bathing in rosy 
light the white limbs of a marble nymph by a fountain in the 
grove. Herr Rbmer shook his head as he entered ; then, 
giving his overcoat to a servant, he opened the door of the 
red-curtained apartment. The room was all red, — ^hangings, 
furniture, even the carpet was of the same dark crimson hue. 
Beneath the hanging lamp stood a writing-table of peculiar 
Chinese form, with golden arabesques covering its flne black 
lacquer ; it was made for use in the fullest sense of the word ; 
open books, sheets of writing-paper, and newspapers were scat- 
tered over it, with a manuscript, across which a pencil was 
lying, beside a small silver salver holding a goblet half full of 
a strong, dark-red wine. It was a room where flowers would 
not have flourished nor birds have sung. In each of the fbur 
corners stood a black marble pedestal, each supporting a bust 
of the same material, which brought into harsh relief the 
features it portrayed ; book-shelves lined the long wall, har- 
monizing in colour and decoration with the writing-table, and 
containing finely-bound modern books as well as parchment- 
covered folios, and piles of pamphlets. It almost seemed as 
if the deep uniform crimson of the hangings and carpet had 
been chosen as the only fitting frame for the severe style in 
which the room was furnished. 

As the councillor entered, a lady who had evidently been 
walking to and fro stood still. One might have thought that 
she too had just come in covered with snow from the flurry 
without, so dazzlingly white did she look upon the crimson 
carpet. It would have been difficult to say whether the soft 
folds of her long cashmere robe were draped so loosely about 


AT THE COUNCILLOR'S. 


19 


her waist and hips for the sake of convenience, or whether 
this strange and becoming toilette were the result of careful 
study ; certainly the figure that stood out upon the crimson 
background was noble in outline, and as purely white as an 
Iphigenia. The lady was very beautiful, although no longer 
freshly young. She had a fine Koman profile, and a delicate, 
supple frame, but her light hair was wanting in thickness ; it 
was cut short, and, smoothed away from the brow, curled in 
soft, flimsy curls about the head and neck. She was Flora 
Mangold, a sister-in-law of Councillor Komer, the twin-sister 
of his deceased wife. Her arms were lightly folded across 
her bosom, and she greeted her brother-in-law with evident 
eagerness. 

“ Well, Flora, have you left the drawing-room?” he asked. 

“ Do you suppose I could stay beside grandmamma’s tea- 
table, in the midst of stockings and swaddling-clothes for poor 
children, and all that old woman’s gossip?” she replied, in a 
tone of irritation. 

“ But there are gentlemen there, too. Floss ” 

“ Greater gossips than the rest, in spite of their orders and 
epaulettes 1” 

He laughed. “ You are out of humour, ma ch^re,” he said, 
sinking into an arm-chair. 

She threw back her head and pressed her folded hands to 
her breast. “ Moritz,” she said, breathing hard, as if after a 
momentary struggle with herself, “ tell me the truth ; did the 
castle miller die beneath Bruck’s knife ?” 

He started. “ What an idea I No misfortune can be so 
black but that you women ” 

“I pray you make me an exception there, Moritz,” she 
interrupted him, haughtily. 

“ Well, with all due respect for your talent and remarkable 
powers of mind, are you in fact any better than the rest?” 
He got up and paced the room in great annoyance ; this new 


20 


AT THE COUNCILLOR'S. 


view of the matter was startling indeed. “ Beneath Bruck’a 
knife !” he repeated, in an agitated voice. “ I tell you the 
operation was performed before two o’clock, and the man died 
scarcely two hours ago. Besides, I cannot imagine how you 
of all others can venture to give utterance to such a thought 
BO curtly and coldly, — I might almost say, so pitilessly.” 

“ I of all others,” she said, with emphasis, as she pressed 
the carpet with her foot ; “ I of all others, because I cannot 
endure to keep anything hidden in the depths of my soul. I 
am too proud, too unbending, to share and conceal the knowl* 
edge of wrong done by another, let that other be whom he 
will. Do not think that I do not suffer ! It cuts me to the . 
heart like a knife. But you have used the word ‘ pitilessly’ ; 
you could not better have confirmed my suspicions. Pity for 
bungling in science is absurd, impossible ; and you as well 
as I are perfectly aware that Bruck’s reputation as a physi- 
cian has already suffered from his entire failure in the case of 
Countess Wallendorf.” 

“ Oh, of course nothing could induce that worthy lady to 
moderate her appetite for pat4 de foie gras and champagne.” 

“ That is what Bruck says; her relatives tell another story.” 
She pressed her palms upon her temples, as if her head ached 
violently. “ Do you know, Moritz, when the news of the 
miller’s death arrived, I went out of the house and ran hither 
and thither like one insane ? Old Sommer was well known to 
high and low : everybody was interested in the success of the 
operation. Even if, as you say, he did not die immediately 
beneath Bruck’s knife, every one of medical knowledge will 
maintain, and justly, that the further struggle with death was 
due to his strong constitution. Can you, who have no medi- 
cal knowledge, be better informed ? Rather do not deny that 
you are impressed with the same conviction I You have no 
idea how pale you are with agitation.” 

At this moment a side-door opened, and Frau President 


AT THE COUNCILLORS. 


21 


Urach appeared upon the threshold. In spite of her seventy 
years, she entered with an elastic step ; in spite of her seventy 
years, she looked a wonderfully youthful grandmamma. She 
was not apparelled in the dress of old age ; a fichu of white 
lace was crossed upon her breast and knotted behind at 
the waist. The overskirt of her pearl-gray silk gown was 
richly trimmed. Her gray hair, still streaked here and there 
with its original hue of shining gold, was pufied thickly above 
her brow, and above these pufis she wore a veil-like scarf of 
white tulle, the long ends of which concealed the throat and 
the neck just below the chin, where age so surely sets its 
seal. 

She was not alone. At her side there entered a creature 
most strange in appearance, evidently stunted in growth, not 
ill proportioned in figure, but extremely small, and very thin. 
This insignificant body was crowned by the strongly-developed 
head of a young lady of perhaps twenty-four years of age. 
The three women now in the room had a strong family re- 
semblance in their features; the close relationship between 
grandmother and grandchildren was evident, but the noble, 
regular profile of the youngest of the three was too long for 
perfect beauty, and the chin was too broad and decisively 
prominent. She had a sickly complexion, and her lips were 
bluish in hue. In her fair hair was twisted a flame-coloured 
velvet ribbon, and she was in very elegant full dress, save that 
by her side, where other ladies wear a chatelaine, she carried 
a small oval osier basket lined with little cushions of blue 
satin, among which sat a canary-bird. 

“ No, Henriette I” cried Flora, impatiently, as the little 
bird left his nest and flew about her head, “ that I will not 
have. You must leave your menagerie outside.” 

“ Pray now. Flora, — Jack has neither elephants’ feet nor 
horns on his head ; he cannot harm you,” the little lady re- 
plied, indifferently. “ Come, Jacky, come I” she called ; and 


22 


AT THE COUNCILLOR'S. 


the bird, after flying around the ceiling, dutifully came and 
perched upon the forefinger she held out for him. 

Flora turned away with a shrug. “ I cannot understand 
you or your guests, grandmamma,” she said, sharply. “ How 
can you tolerate Henriette’s childish nonsense ? Before long 
she will set up her pigeon-cote and daws’-nests in your draw- 
ing-room.” 

“ And why not, Flora ?” laughed the little lady, showing a 
row of small, sharp teeth. “ They all tolerate you, going about 
everywhere with a pen behind your ear, your pockets crammed 
with bookish stufi*, and ” 

“ Henriette !” the Frau President sternly interrupted her. 
In her bearing there was great dignity, and as she graciously 
gave her hand in greeting to the councillor, an unmistak- 
able air of condescension mingled with the kindliness of her 
manner. 

“ I have just heard of your return, my dear Moritz ; must 
we wait any longer for you ?” she asked, in a gentle voice that 
was still musical. 

Ten minutes previously he had come home, resolved to don 
his evening dress immediately. Now he replied, with hesita- 
tion, “ Dearest grandmamma, I must beg you to excuse me 
this evening. The event at the mill ” 

“ True, it is very sad ; but how can it affect us ? I really 
cannot see how to excuse you to my friends.” 

“ They can hardly be so dull of comprehension, those 
worthy people, as not to understand that Kitty’s grand- 
papa has died?” Henriette remarked, looking back over 
her shoulder from where she was standing in front of the 
book-shelves, apparently reading assiduously the titles of the 
books. 

“ Henriette, I pray you spare me your pert observations,’ 
the Frau President said. “ You can, if you choose, tone down 
your flame-coloured head-dress, for Kitty is your step-sister; 


AT THE COUNCILLOR'S. 


23 


but with regard to Moritz and myself, the connection is so 
slight that we need take no conventional notice of the death, 
deplore it as we may. And, for Bruck’s sake, the less said 
about it the better.” 

“ Good heavens, are you all determined to be so unjust to 
the doctor?” cried the councillor, in despair. “No blame — 
not the smallest — can be attached to him ; he brought all hia 
skill, all his scientific knowledge, to bear ” 

“ My dear Moritz, you should hear what my old friend 
Doctor von Bar has to say upon that point,” the Frau Presi- 
dent said, in interruption, lightly tapping him upon the 
shoulder and making a significant motion of her head towards 
Flora, who had gone to her writing-table. 

“ Oh, do not mind me, grandmamma ! Do you think me so 
blind and deaf as not to know what Bar’s opinion is ?” the 
beautiful- girl exclaimed, with bitterness. “Bruck has, be- 
sides, condemned himself : he has not ventured to come near 
me this evening.” 

Hitherto Henriette had been standing with her back towards 
the rest. Now she turned round ; a burning blush suddenly 
coloured her sallow cheek and as quickly faded. Her eyes 
were wonderfully fine, revealing depths of passionate feeling. 
They glowed like stars as she turned them, with a mixture 
of shy terror and positive hatred, upon her sister’s counte- 
nance. 

“ Your last accusation he will refute in person ; he will 
shortly be here. Flora,” said the councillor, evidently relieved. 
“ He will tell you himself that he has been driven hard in- 
deed, to-day. You know how many patients he has seriously 
ill in town, — among them the poor little Lenz girl, who cannot 
live until morning.” 

The lady laughed a low, bitter laugh. “ Is she going to 
die? Really, Moritz? Well, Bar, too, came here to me 
Wore going to grandmamma ; he spoke of the child, whom 


24 


AT THE COUNCILLOR'S. 


he Baw yesterday, and thought not very ill ; he feared, however, 
that Bmck was upon a false track. Bar is an authority ” 

“Yes, an authority filled with envy,” said Henriette, in a 
clear, ringing voice. She had hastily approached, and laid her 
hand upon her brother-in-law’s arm. “ Give up trying to con- 
vince Flora, Moritz. You must see that she is determined to 
find her lover guilty.” 

“ Determined ? ’Tis false I I would give half that I 
possess to regard Bruck as I did in the beginning of our 
engagement, — with the same proud trust and confidence,” 
Flora exclaimed, passionately. “ But since the death of the 
Countess Wallendorf I have been a silent prey to doubt and 
mistrust ; now I doubt no more : I am convinced. I know 
nothing, it is true, of that feminine weakness that loves with- 
out ever asking, ‘ Is he whom I love worthy my devotion ?’ 
I am ambitious, wildly ambitious ; I care not who knows it. 
Without that mainspring I too might saunter along the broad 
highway of the commonplace like the weak and indolent of 
my sex. God forbid such a fate for me ! How an aspiring 
and intellectual woman can pass her life quietly and com- 
posedly, linked to an insignificant husband, has always been 
incomprehensible to me ; I should writhe beneath the shame 
of such a position.” 

“ Oh, indeed I would it so shame you? Well, well, I sup- 
pose it would require more courage than is needed to hold 
forth to a roomful of students upon aesthetics and what not,* 
Henriette said, with a smile iull of malice. 

Flora cast a contemptuous glance at her sister. “ Hiss, 
little viper, if you will. What can you know of my ideal ?” 
she said, with a shrug. “ But you are right in thinking I 
should be more at home in the lecture-room than by the side 
of a man who has stamped himself a bungler in his profes 
sion ; I could not endure such chains.” 

“ That is your affair, my child,” the Frau President coolly 


AT THE COUNCILLOR’S. 


25 


remarked, while the councillor looked up in dismay. “You 
must remember that no one forced you to fetter yourself 
thus.” 

“ I know that perfectly well, grandmamma ; I know, too, 
that you would greatly have preferred that I should become 
the wife of the Chamberlain von Stetten, physical and finan- 
cial bankrupt though he be. I grant you, also, that I refuse 
to allow myself to be influenced or led by others, since I know 
best what best beseems me. 

“ There, too, you are your own mistress,” her grandmothei 
rejoined, with frigid dignity ; “ only remember one thing, — 
you will find in me a determined opponent to anything like a 
public scandal. You surely know me well enough to be aware 
that I would far rather endure great personal annoyance than 
give any occasion for gossip. I reside here with you, and take 
upon myself the duties of mistress of the house with pleasure, 
but I must in return exact an unconditional respect for my 
name and position ; I will not have society whispering and 
tattling about our affairs.” 

The councillor turned hastily away. He went to a window, 
pulled aside the curtain, and gazed out into the night. The 
wind, which had gradually risen to a tempest, rattled at the 
window-frame, and in the red light cast upon the bare, 
tossing branches outside, by the lamp hanging in the other 
window, the crimsoned snow-flakes whirled madly hither and 
thither like the tormenting thoughts in his own brain. He 
had a short time before debated in his mind whether he 
should not explain matters fully, at least to Flora ; now he 
knew that she was the last person to whom he could speak 
upon the subject, if he did not wish that the whisper and 
tattle of society should drive the Frau President from his 
house. No; he saw clearly that his ambitious sister-in-law 
would publish his confession far and wide, less from solici- 
tude for her lover than from a desire to prove that her heart, 


B 


26 


AT THE COUNCILLOR'S. 


or ratlier her head, could not have been mistaken in its 
choice. 

Meanwhile, Henriette turned a face of anger and scorn 
towards her grandmother. “ It is solely to avoid furnishing 
gossip for society, then, that you would have my sister bear 
herself blameless ? She can easily satisfy you. You will in- 
stantly acquit her if she can cover her breach of faith with 
a silken mantle. But indeed you need not be so sensitive 
upon the subject of scandal, grandmamma : those living in 
the world as we do, soon find out that society regards many a 
sinner of rank and wealth much as it does an old piece of 
valuable porcelain, — the more patched the more precious.” 

“ I must request you to pass the remainder of the evening 
in your own room, Henriette,” the Frau President said, now 
seriously angry. “In your present mood, I cannot permit 
you to return to the drawing-room.” 

“ As you please, grandmamma. Come, Jack, we will go 
with the greatest pleasure,” she said, smiling, smoothing 
with her cheek the bird’s plumage as it sat on her fore- 
finger. “ You hate those old court-ladies, too ; and you regu- 
larly peck at the great medical authority, Herr von Bar, and 
nip his finger, you good little fellow, when he tries to coax 
you with sugar. Good-night, grandmamma; good-night, 
Moritz.” She paused in her hasty departure, and turned 
back. “ That strong-minded lady there,” she said, with cut- 
ting emphasis, “ will probably pursue the path which her dead 
father would have inexorably forbidden to her ; while he lived 
there was no chance for her boasted exercise of her own will. 
He would never have allowed her to break her troth with an 
honourable man.” 

She left the room with her head proudly erect, but, even as 
she crossed the threshold, the tears which had been plainly 
audible in her voice as she spoke the last words gushed from 
her eyes. 


AT THE COUNCILLORS. 


27 


“ Thank God, she has gone \” cried Flora. “ What an 
amount of self-control is required not to lose one’s patience 
with her !’^ 

I never forget her invalid condition,’^ the Frau President 
remarked, in a reproving tone. 

“ And she is right, in a certain sense, Flora,^^ the council- 
lor ventured to interpose. 

“ You may think as you ch’bose upon that point, Moritz,” 
the young lady rejoined, coldly; “but I must earnestly en- 
treat you not to make my task more difficult by your inter- 
ference. I am used, as I said just now, to judge for myself 
in what concerns me, and I shall do so in this case. And 
you may be perfectly easy, — you and grandmamma. I exces- 
sively dislike any sudden and harsh measure, and I have a 
noiseless ally, — time.’' 

She took the goblet from the writing-table and moistened 
her pale lips with a few drops of its contents, while the Frau 
President, without further remonstrance, prepared to leave the 
room. 

“ Apropos, Moritz,” she said, with her hand upon the knob 
of the door, “ what is to be done with Kitty now ?” 

“We must leave it to the will to decide all that,” he re- 
plied, drawing a long breath of relief. “ I have no idea how 
the castle miller has arranged matters. Kitty is his natural 
heir, but it is doubtful whether he has left all his property 
to her; he always resented the fact that her birth cost 
his daughter her life. In any case she must come here for 
a while.” 

“Do not trouble yourself about that; she will not come; 
she is tied as securely to-day to the apron-string of her detest- 
able old governess as she was during papa’s lifetime,” said 
Flora. “ That is easy to see from her letters.” 

“Well, perhaps it is better that she should stay where she 
is,” the Frau President remarked, with a shade of eagerness. 


28 


AT THE COUNCILLOR'S. 


“ To be candid, T have no great desire to shelter her beneath 
my wing and waste my time in schooling her; it is very 
tiresome. I never really liked her; not because she was 
the child of my daughter’s successor, — that I have always 
declared, — ^but she was altogether too much at home in the 
inill, getting her clothes and hair covered with meal ; and then 
she was a self-willed little thing.” 

“ A genuine ‘ child of the people,’ and yet — papa’s darling,” 
Flora added, with a bitter smile. 

“Apparently, my dear, because she was his youngest 
child,” said the Frau President, who never permitted a sus- 
picion, either in herself or in others, that any one belonging 
to her could be slighted. “You were just as much his dar- 
ling at one time. Well, Moritz, are you coming?” 

He hastily complied. As they left the room^ Flora rang for 
her maid. “ I wish to retire to my dressing-room to write ; 
take my writing-materials and these papers there for me,” 
she ordered. “ Of course I can see no one this evening.” 

The red glow was no longer seen outside the windows, but 
the brilliant light from the drawing-room gleamed over the 
tempest-swept avenue until long past midnight. The coun- 
cillor was at one of the card-tables. Upon his entrance every 
one received him with a kindly greeting or a warm pressure of 
the hand, that fell like sunshine on his anxious, troubled heart. 
Here, among these faces, stamped with the pride of noble 
birth or official arrogance, his line of conduct seemed so per- 
fectly justifiable that he could hardly understand the torment- 
ing scruples that assailed him. Why expose one’s self to 
hostile criticism when one is conscious of entire innocence even 
in thought ? And then such a low affair altogether ! All this 
delightful scandal which -was now whispered about, these stories 
over which each noble guest was glad to throw “ a silken man- 
tle,” concerned high-born errors ; but what mercy could these 
people show to one among them, not legitimately of them, ac- 


AT THE COUNCILLOR’S. 


29 


cused of a vulgar attempt to rob the castle miller’s safe ? He 
could, however, no longer console himself with the idea that 
his silence harmed no one : it threatened to sever two human 
souls united by a betrothal ring. Pshaw! Flora was an ec- 
centric creature. The next time some special distinction was 
awarded to Bruck, which his great learning and ability made 
certain, matters would be all right again. And with a glass 
of delicious punch he drained down his last scruple. 


CHAPTEE III. 

The castle miller had in fact left his granddaughter, Katha- 
rina Mangold, his sole heiress, and confirmed as her guardian 
the man previously selected as such by her deceased father. 
This guardian was Councillor Eomer, who, at the reading of 
the will, shook- his head and pondered deeply upon the incon- 
sistencies that exist in the human soul. The old man who 
had wellnigh throttled him under the influence of a mad 
suspicion that he was robbing him of his gold, had, scarcely 
an hour before, appointed him his executor, with almost limit- 
less authority. He had provided that in case the operation 
about to be performed . resulted in death, all his real estate, 
with the exception of the castle mill, should be sold. With 
regard to this exception, he declared that the mill had made him 
a wealthy man, and that his granddaughter, even although she 
came to be as “proud and haughty” as her step-sisters, had 
no need to he ashamed of bringing it to her future husband. 
The baronial estate to which it ' belonged was to be divided, 
and each portion — forest-land, farm-land, farm-buildings, 
meadows, and kitchen-gardens — sold singly to the highest 
bidder. As for the villa, with its surrounding park, it was to 
8 * 


30 


AT THE COUNCILLOR 15. 


be sold likewise, and Councillor Rdmer was to be allowed to 
purchase it, if he wished to do so, at the rate of five thousand 
thalers less than its taxable value. These five thousand 
thalers were his, not only as some indemnification for hia 
trouble as guardian, but in token of the “ esteem” of the 
testator for a man who had never been haughty “ like the 
rest of them at the villa,” but more like a kind and even de- 
voted relative. The will further provided that the whole 
property should be invested in government securities and 
other solid stock, the choice of which should be left entirely 
to the guardian, as a prudent and careful man of business. 

The young heiress had lived for the past six years away 
from home. Her dying father had left her in charge to a 
Fraulein Lukas, who had been her governess always, — ^in fact, 
had supplied a mother’s place to her. Herr* Mangold saw 
plainly that his darling, who had held herself shyly aloof from 
the step-sisters so much her elders, must not be deprived of 
her governess’s tender care, and had therefore provided that 
she should accompany Fraulein Lukas to Dresden, whither 
the latter removed shortly after her employer’s death, and 
upon her marriage with a physician to whom she had long 
been betrothed. In the young girl’s letters thence to her 
guardian she had nev6r expressed a wish to revisit her home, 
nor had it ever occurred to her grandfather, the castle miller, 
to recall her. He had acquiesced willingly in her removal to 
Dresden, because the sight of her constantly renewed his grief 
for his daughter, the only being whom he had ever really loved. 
Now, after his death, the girl’s guardian requested her to re- 
turn, for some time at least, arranging at the same time to be 
her escort himself from Dresden as soon as the weather should 
become warmer, towards the end of April, since — this fact, 
however, he naturally suppressed — the Frau President Urach 
had protested against her being accompanied by the former 
governess. His ward had acceded to everything, and, upon his 


AT THE COUNCILLOR'S. 


31 


asking her further whether she had any personal wish with 
regard to the disposal of her property, had begged that when 
the castle mill was rented, the huge corner room and the 
recess with which it communicated might be reserved for 
her, and that everything in them might be left exactly as it 
had been during her grandfather’s lifetime. This was done. 

It was March, and a young girl was walking from town 
upon the highway, here and there bordered by neat cottages. 
She turned into the broad road leading to the castle mill. The 
traces of the last snow-storm had not entirely disappeared, the 
water had not dried in the broad ruts left by the wheels of the 
mill-wagons or in the deep footprints of the passers-by ; but the 
young girl’s little feet were encased in stout leather boots, and 
her black silk dress was so well caught up that there was no 
trace of mud upon its edge. She looked no elf or fairy as 
she walked on with a sure, elastic step. No ; she was rather 
like some fair Alpine maid, with veins and sinews full of 
vigorous health, nourished by the pure breath of the moun- 
tain air and the sweet fresh milk of mountain-fed cows. 
A close black velvet jacket, trimmed with fur, showed the 
full, graceful outlines of bust and waist, and upon her brown 
hair sat, a little to one side, a cap of marten-skin. Her 
features were far from classically regular : the aquiline nose 
was too short for the width and shape of the brow, the mouth 
too large, the dimpled chin too strongly marked, the eyebrows 
not sufficiently delicate ; but all these defects were more than 
atoned for by the pure oval of the whole face and the incom- 
parable freshness and beauty of its colouring. 

She turned into the open door of the court-yard of the castle 
mill, scattering before her a number of chickens assembled 
upon the wagon-road to pick up some scattered grains of wheat. 
They flew hither and thither with a loud cackling, and a 
couple of watch -dogs, roused from their lazy doze by the noise, 


32 


AT THE COUNCILLORS. 


barked fiiriously. How bright and golden the warm spring 
sunshine looked, flooding the walls of the grand old pile of ma- 
sonry heaped up in ancient times beneath the eye of its noble 
builder I The day before yesterday the last thick icicle had 
flillen clattering from the open jaws of the lion’s head at the 
end of the gutter on the roof, above which the air was now 
quivering with heat from the sun-baked slate. The sap 
was swelling in the big brown chestnut-buds, making them 
glisten as if powdered with diamond-dust; a couple of pots 
containing some languishing plants had been put outside of 
the window of one of the miller’s rooms, to enjoy the first 
breath of spring ; and upon the well-worn wooden steps leading 
from this very room was seated a dusty miller, eating a huge 
piece of bread-and-cheese. 

“ Moor ! Watch ! good dogs I” the young girl called across 
the yard in a coaxing voice. The dogs leaped about madly, 
whining as they tugged at their chains. 

“ What do you want ?” asked the miller, rising clumsily. 

She laughed gently. “ I want nothing, Franz, except to 
say ‘ good-day’ to Susie and yourself” 

In an instant bread, cheese, and knife were thrown down 
on the ground. The man was not tall, — shorter than the 
young girl, — and he looked up speechless into the bloo-m- 
ing face, which he had seen last belonging to a sickly child 
not tall enough to reach to his broad shoulders. She used to 
be called the “ miller’s mouse,” and, swift and agile as any 
mouse, would follow him about the mill and granary for hours 
at a time ; now she was mistress here, and he, the former for& 
man, her tenant. ‘‘ Queer enough,” he said, shaking his head 
in loutish wonder ; “ the eyes and the dimples in the cheeks 
are the same, but what a size she is !” And he measured 
her with shy, incredulous glances. “ Aha, she gets it all from 
her Sommer grandmother ; she was just such a white-and-red 
creature, and Be quiet, you rogues 1” he interrupted 


AT THE COUNCILLOR'S. 


33 


himself, shaking his fist at the barking dogs. “ The fellows 
really know you, madame.” 

“ Better than you do ; the ‘ size’ has not led them astray,” 
she replied, going over to the dogs and caressing them as they 
leaped up upon her. “You give me a wonderful title, Franz ; 
I have not been promoted in Dresden, I assure you.” 

“ But the Frauleins over in the villa are always called so.’ 
he said, doggedly. 

“ Indeed !” 

“ And you are worth ten of them. So young and rich, — 
so immensely rich I There’s the mill, — the finest far or near. 
Zounds! ’tis a prize indeed. Good gracious! — only a girl, 
hardly eighteen years old, and the owner of such a mill !” 

She laughed. “ Yes, it is mine ; and a dreary life I shall 
lead you, old Franz. But where is Susie ?” 

“ Keeping her room ; ’tis in her right side again, poor old 
thing ! Her own doctoring did no good, and Doctor Bruck 
Is there now.” 

The girl gave him her hand and went into the house. The 
heavy oaken door swung to behind her with a jar that re- 
sounded from all four walls of the large hall. Beneath her 
feet the fioor trembled and shook with the dull sound of the 
machinery that was heard through a low, open door in a 
stone-vaulted archway, and the odour of freshly-ground grain 
filled the air. The young girl breathed it in eagerly ; a flooci 
of memories overcame her; she grew pale with emotion, 
and stood still for a moment with folded hands. Yes, she 
had indeed loved to make herself “at home” in the mill, 
as the Frau President had said, and her father had often 
brushed the fiour from her dress and braids and laughingly 
called her his “ little white miller’s mouse.” The stern old 
man, her grandfather, whom she could best remember shout- 
ing down his orders, in a harsh, authoritative voice, from the 
first landing of the stairs, had never loved her; she had 
0 


34 


AT THE COUNCILLOR'S. 


almost always fled from his cross looks either to Susie’s bright 
kitchen or to Franz ; and yet she now thought of him with 
deep regret, and wished he were just descending the stairs 
that had creaked beneath his heavy tread ; perhaps she should 
no longer have feared his face, repulsive, as she now knew, 
with the insolence of wealth ; perhaps he would have been 
gentler and kinder, now that she had grown like her grand- 
mother. 

She found the door of the corner room up-stairs locked, but 
along the narrow passage connecting the back building with 
the main part of the mill she heard Susie’s wailing voice. 
Ah, yes, there was the poor old servant’s sleeping-room, — a 
dark little chamber, with round, leaded panes of glass in the 
windows, through which were seen the gray thatched roof of 
a wood-shed, and the pavement, always damp, of the side- 
yard. She shook her head impatiently, and walked along the 
passage. 

As she entered the sick-room, the close, heated atmosphere 
of which was filled with smoke, she saw in the dim light that 
penetrated the old green glass of the window a man standing 
with his back towards her. He was very tall, much taller 
than she, and broad-shouldered in proportion. He was ap- 
parently about to depart, for he had hat and cane in hand. 
Ah, this, then, was Doctor Bruck, of whom her brothe; in- 
law Moritz had told her when he informed her of the be- 
trothal of her beautiful sister Flora, — how, as a student, th; 
young doctor had secretly loved the much-admired and feted 
belle, but had not dared to aspire then to the hand that was 
at length his own; this, then, was he. She had almost for- 
gotten the engagement, and had never during her journey 
thither remembered that she should see this new member of 
the family. 

The opening door had swung noiselessly upon its hinges, 
but perhaps the girl’s silk dress rustled, or the stream of fresh 


AT THE COUNCILLORS 


35 


air that she brought with her, and that seemed laden with 
the breath of violets, startled the young physician ; he 
turned hastily. 

“ Doctor Bruck ? I am Kitty Mangold,” she said, briefly 
introducing herself ; and, passing him quickly, she held out 
both hands to Susie, who sat propped up with pillows ii an 
arm-chair. 

The old woman stared at her with bewildered eyes. 

“ I seem fallen from the skies, do I not, Susie dear ? But 
just at the right time, I perceive,” she said, stroking back the 
old woman’s dishevelled gray locks beneath her night-cap. 
“ How comes it that I find you here in this wretched little 
back room ? The stove smokes, and does not give out heat 
enough to dry these damp old walls. Did they not tell you 
that you were to take possession of the corner room and sleep 
in the recess?” 

“Yes, yes, the Herr Councillor told me all that ; but it 
seemed such a crazy thing for me to be stuck up all alone in 
the best corner room, like a lady, or like your blessed grand- 
mother herself.” 

The young girl suppressed a smile. “ But, Susie, you 
always sat there in grandpapa’s time, did you not? Your 
spinning-wheel stood by the window ; I am sure I have often 
enough put it out of order for you ; and your work-basket had 
its place on the table. Will you not allow a change of apart- 
ment, Herr Doctor ?” she said, turning to the physician. 

“ I not only allow it, I have urgently advised it, but have 
been met by the patient’s most determined opposition,” he re- 
plied, with a shrug. His voice was gentle but sonorous, and 
just now tinged with the pitying tone one so readily adopts 
in the presence of suffering. 

“ Well, then, we will not lose a moment,” said Kitty, as 
she laid her fur cap upon Susie’s bed and drew off* he>r 


B6 


AT THE COUNCILLOR'S. 


“ Nothing in the world shall induce me to go there,” the 
housekeeper protested. “ Fraulein Kitty, dorit ask it !” she 
entreated, peevishly. “That room is the very apple of my 
eye ; I have been cleaning it and rubbing it up every day 
since the Herr Councillor told me you were coming. I had 
fresh curtains put up there only the day before yesterday. ’ 

“ Very well ; stay here, then. I meant to take tea every 
afternoon at the mill, as I used to do in my childhood. But, 
since you are so obstinate, I will not come at all, depend upon 

it. I shall only be four weeks here in M , and then you 

can show your ‘ cleaned and rubbed-up’ room to any one 
whom you choose.” 

The effect was instantaneous. The grave decision in the 
young girl’s face and bearing showed that she was not dealing 
for the first time with a querulous and obstinate invalid. 

With a deep sigh Susie drew out the key of the room from 
beneath her pillow and handed it to her young mistress, 
who was hastily pulling off her velvet jacket. “ Of course the 
corner room is not heated,” she said, taking up a basket of 
wood by the stove. 

“ No, ’tis impossible you should do that,” said Doctor 
Bruck, with a glance at her rich dress. He laid hat and 
cane on the table. 

“ I should be very much ashamed if I could not,” she re- 
plied, gravely, but with a blush, as she noticed his glance. 

She went out, and in a few moments a fine fire was crack- 
ling in the stove of the corner room, where Doctor Bruck 
opened the windows, that the fresh warm breath of March 
might replace the odour of soap and water. 

Kitty entered. “ I beg you to observe, Herr Doctor,” she 
said, “that I am still fit to be seen,” displaying as she spoke, 
not without some scorn in the gesture, her small, rosy hands, 
their wrists encircled by snowy linen cuffs. 

An expressive smile lit up his grave face ; he said nothing, 


AT THE COUNCILLOR'S. 


37 


however, but turned away to close again the southern window, 
through which a strong draught came so freshly that it flut- 
tered the brown curls upon the girl’s forehead. The curtain, 
too, blew into the room ; Kitty seized it with a skilful hand 
and tried to replace each stiff fold as it was before. 

“ Poor dear Susie ! if she only knew how I detest these 
surtains 1” she said, half laughing, half provoked. “ They 
must stay now whether I like them or not, for she must 
have coaxed them out of my guardian entirely for me. 
Figured muslin curtains before such arched windows in the 
finest mediaeval room that can be imagined! I meant to 
arrange and furnish it just as it might have been three centu- 
ries ago, with round, leaded panes of glass, and broad, oaken^ 
cushioned window-seats ; and there, upon the huge door lead 
ing out upon the stairs, I meant to have large antique brass 
bolts and hinges. Grandpapa must have had the old ones 
taken off ; the marks are still there to show where they were. 
And then, with old Susie sitting by the window at her spin- 
ning-wheel 1 — I had imagined it all so pretty and cosy, — and 
now I shall have to give up the whole thing.” 

“ But I can’t see Are you not mistress here?” 

“Oh, I shall never be able to do anything in such a case , 
I know myself too well,” she replied, almost dejectedly. “ In 
such matters I am a terrible coward.” The contrast be- 
tween this frank confession and the young girl’s commanding 
exterior was so great that there needed indeed a keen glance 
into her hazel eyes to convince one that she spoke only the 
simple truth. These eyes were not very large, but well shaped 
and clear ; their calm gaze was in thorough harmony with her 
independent, self-assured bearing. How quietly and practi- 
cally she arranged everything for the coming of the invalid 1 
A bed was made up on the sofa ; the castle miller’s huge 
leather-cushioned arm-chair was drawn out of the window- 
niche and placed so as to shelter the patient from every 


38 


AT THE COUNGILLOR’S. 


draught. She brought a little table from the recess, aud 
placed the well-scoured footstool before the high sofa, and all 
was done as regularly and easily as if she had never been 
away from the mill. She was so absorbed in the occupation 
of the moment that she seemed to have quite forgotten the 
presence of the man standing by the southern window. Only 
when she opened the table-drawer and took out a white cloth 
with a woven red border, to spread it upon the little table in 
front of the arm-chair, did she turn to him and say, “ There 
is something delightful in this old bourgeois order ; nothing 
is ever out of place. Here it all was before I was born, and 
in all these six years that I have been away nothing has been 
changed. I am at home at once.” She pointed to the mirror 
above the table. “ There, behind the frame, I see the corner 
of the almanac, where grandpapa kept his accounts, and over 
the top is still sticking the rod, with its faded ribbon, once 
my mother’s terror.” 

“ And yours too ?” 

“ No ; grandpapa never paid me, poor little thing, enough 
attention to care about my improvement.” She spoke entirely 
without bitterness, rather with a kind of smiling resignation. 
She went on to remove every particle of dust that had accu- 
mulated during Susie’s illness upon tables and chairs, and 
closed the other windows. “ There must be some flowers 
upon these stone window-ledges ; their fragrance will refresh 
my poor Susie. I shall beg brother Moritz for some hya* 
/.nths and pots of violets from his conservatory ” 

“ You will have to apply to Frau President Urach ; she has 
absolute and sole control of the conservatory ; it belongs to 
her apartments.” 

The young girl opened her eyes. “ Is etiquette so strictly 
observed at the villa now ? During papa’s lifetime the con- 
servatory was the common property of the family.” She 
shrugged her shoulders. “ True, my father’s distinguished 


AT THE COUNCILLORS. 


39 


motlier-in-law was, at tliat time, only an occasional guest at 
the villa.” Her melodious voice sharpened slightly in tone 
as she spoke these last words, but she tossed her head as she 
finished, as if she could thus shake off a momentarily disagree- 
able sensation, and added, with a smile, “ ’Tis all the better 
that I came first to the mill to acclimatize myself.” 

He left the window and approached her. “ But will they 
not be vexed over there that you did not immediately upon 
your arrival place yourself under the protection of the 
family ?” he asked, seriously, as one who would like to hint 

gentle word of advice without presuming. 

“ They have no right to be so,” she hastily and eagerly 
replied, with a blush. “ Those ‘ over there,’ ‘ the family,’ as 
you call them, are alike strangers to me ; I cannot beforehand 
feel as if I belonged to them, not even to my sisters. We do 
not know one another ; there has not been even the slight 
tie of an interchange of letters between us, — I have corre- 
sponded only with Moritz. While papa lived, Henriette re- 
sided with her grandmother ; we saw each other but seldom, 
and then always in the presence of the Frau President. My 
sister, Moritz Bbmer’s wife, lived in town, and died long ago. 
And Flora ? She was very beautiful and charming, — a belle 
who was at the head of papa’s household while I was a child. 
Flora must have been wonderfully gifted, one always felt so 
timid and awe-stricken in her presence. I never ventured to 
talk to her, or even to touch her beautiful hands, and to-day 
I feel it would be very presuming for me to adopt towards her 
the familiar tone customary between sisters.” 

She paused and looked to him for a rejoinder, but he was 
gazing away far over the distant prospect, and said no word 
by way of encouragement. Had he not served for the lovely 
girl as Jacob served for Rachel ? Possibly he did not even 
like to think that love for a sister could find lodgment in the 
heart that was at last his own. In spite of the gentleness and 


40 


AT THE COUNCILLOR'S. 


courtesy which were his by virtue of his profession, he looked 
as if he could vindicate his rights with great decision and 
gravity. 

“ As matters stand, the villa is no longer my home ; 1 
can visit it only as a guest, upon the same footing with 
other guests,” she began again, after a moment’s pause. 
“ Here in the mill I am on my native soil, the air of home 
about me, and the sensation of home in my heart ; and 
Franz and Susie will as faithfully protect my minority as 
can be done at the villa, with all its strict etiquette.” A 
rebellious smile hovered upon her lips. “ Moreover, they 
will forgive this breach of decorum sooner than you think, 
Herr Doctor ; nothing better could be expected of the ‘ mil- 
ler’s mouse.’ ” 

The pet name her father had given her was certainly most 
inapplicable now ; any name that suggested a timorous flitting 
and gliding hither and thither into holes and corners scarcely 
befitted this girl, so calmly presenting to the world the spot> 
less shield of her fair brow, and with all the supple vigour 
of her healthy youth, bearing herself with a kind of calm 
dignity. 

Gradually a comfortable warmth was difliised by the stove 
Kitty took from her pocket a tiny flask, and, pouring a few 
drops of cologne upon the heated iron, the air was filled with 
a purifying fragrance. “ Susie will feel very grand and fine 
when she comes in here now,” she said, gaily, looking about 
her once more to see that all was as it should be. Everything 
was in order, except that the recess door was ajar, and through 
it could be seen the gay carnations upon the head of the bed- 
stead near the window. For the first time the girl’s eye fell 
upon the well-known, clumsily-painted flowers that had once 
been the delight of her childish soul ; the bloom left her 
cheeks, even her red lips grew pale. 

“ Grandpapa died there ?” she whispered, agitated. 


AT THE COUNCI±jLOR’S. 


41 


Doctor Bruck shook his head and pointed towards the 
southern window of the room. 

“ Were you with him ?” she asked, quickly, coming closer 
to his side. 

“ Yes.” 

“ He died so suddenly, and Moritz gave me such an un- 
satisfactory account of his death, that I do not even know 
what caused it.” 

The doctor was standing so that only his profile was towards 
her ; he wore a heavy moustache and beard, and yet she could 
see his lips close tightly, as if it were difficult for them to 
frame a reply. After a moment’s pause, he slowly turned 
and looked her full in the face. “ They will tell you that he 
died in consequence of my want of skill in surgery,” he said, 
in a voice which emotion made almost husky. 

The young girl started back in horror; the glance which 
had been fixed upon the lips of the speaker sought the 
ground. 

“ Solely and simply for your own satisfaction,” he con- 
tinued, with gentle gravity, “ I should like to assure you that 
such an assertion is utterly untrue ; but how can I expect that 
you should believe me ? We have never met before to-day, 
and know nothing of each other.” 

She might have easily extricated herself from her present 
embarrassment with some superficial commonplace, but it 
never occurred to her to do so. He was right ; how could 
she know if he were really blameless and public opinion in 
tlie wrong ? True, his whole bearing was stamped with simple 
frankness and integrity. She could not but feel that it was 
not his nature to deign one word in self-justification in the 
face of unjust suspicion ; nay, that even the assurance he had 
just given her was a condescension on his part. And yet she 
would not say what she could give no real reason for believing. 

He evidently expected no answer, for he turned away, but 
4 * 


42 


AT THE COUNCILLORS. 


with so much dignity and proud composure that Kitty had a 
sudden sense of shame, and the blood rushed to her cheeks. 
“ May I bring Susie in here now?” she asked, in an uncer- 
tain voice. 

He assented, and sbe hastily left the room. In Susie’s little 
bedroom she wiped away the tears that had gathered in her 
eyes, and learned from the old housekeeper the manner of her 
grandfather’s death. 

It has done the doctor no end of harm in town,” the old 
woman concluded. “ He used to be thought the best there, 
and had more to do than he could get through with ; now 
they all say he doesn’t understand his business. That’s the 
way of the world, Fraulein Kitty. And he was not to blame 
for the misfortune. Everything went well; I saw it with 
my own eyes. But the castle miller was to keep perfectly 
quiet. He keep quiet, indeed! I know better than any 
one how the smallest trifle would make him turn red as a 
turkey-cock. Why, if Franz only spoke too loud, or a wagon 
drove too quickly into the yard, he would fall into a rage. I 
have borne enough in his service, and not a penny did he 
leave me for my pains,” — she laughed, a short, angry laugh ; — 
“ if you had not cared for me I should be begging my bread 
now.” 

Kitty raised her forefinger gravely, to impose silence upon 
the peevish old woman. 

“ Just as you please ; I will be quiet,” she said, as she sat 
like a helpless child while her young mistress wrapped her up 
in shawls and coverlets. “ I am only sorry that such a good 
gentleman as the doctor should be so abused, and the very 
^read taken out of his mouth ; and it is too bad for his poor 
old aunt, for whom he works so hard. She gave him his 
education out of her scanty means, — the old Frau Dean. 
She lives with him ; he was always her pride ; and for her to 
dve to see this ” 


AT THE COUNCILLORS. 


43 


F itty put a stop to this talk, which threatened to become 
very discursive, by carefully helping the old woman to rise 
from her arm-chair. She was too much estranged from her 
former home, her thoughts and hopes were too much con- 
centrated in Dresden, to admit of much interest at present in 
the private affairs of Flora’s lover. She certainly pitied the 
physician, whose failure to cure had so suddenly imperilled 
position, and even means of subsistence ; but grief for her 
grandfather, who must have suffered much, far outweighed 
that compassion. 

Supported upon the young girl’s strong arm, old Susie hob- 
bled along the passage. The door of the corner room was 
open, and at the foot of the stairs leading down to it stood 
Doctor Bruck, with arms extended, to receive and assist the 
sufferer. It was a characteristic group that met his eyes. 
Kitty had put around her neck the invalid’s sound arm, hold- 
ing the brown, bony hand firmly clasped in her own upon her 
left shoulder, while her right arm was around Susie’s waist. 
The girl looked the embodiment of self-sacrificing compas- 
sion, as, bending over the crippled old creature, she laid her 
glowing young face upon the gray head, above the wrinkled 
brow. 

In a few moments Susie was comfortably seated in the airy 
apartment. She anxiously examined the famous curtains, was 
much shocked at the bed upon the “ beautiful sofa,” and tried 
in vain to conceal her pleasure at being once more able to 
count every sack of grain that was brought to the mill or 
carried thence. 

The girl looked at her watch. ‘‘It is time I should pre- 
sent myself at the villa, if I would not run the risk of in- 
truding upon the Frau President’s distinguished tea-table,” 
she said, with a feigned shudder, taking her gloves from her 
pocket. “In an hour I will come back and make you some 
broth, Susie ” 


44 


AT THE COUNCILLOR'S. 


“ With those hands ?” 

“ With these hands, of course. Do you suppose I sit with 
them in my lap in Dresden ? Why, you knew my Lukas, 
Susie, — she is just what she used to be, always astir, not a 
moment lost. You ought to see her. Such another doctor’s 
wife it would be hard to find.” And she left the apartment 
to get jacket and cap from Susie’s room. 


CHAPTER IV. 

The factory clock struck five as Kitty, accompanied by 
Doctor Bruck, came out into the court-yard. It had grown 
colder, and the antique sun-dial in the gable of the mill, which 
in the warm spring sunshine of the earlier afternoon had 
clearly marked the time, looked worn and indistinct again. 

A clear peal from the bell at the gate summoned Franz 
from the mill, and his wife followed him, stret-ching her neck 
to see all she could of the newly-returned young mistress. 
Kitty begged them to pay every attention to the invalid 
during her absence, which they duly promised to do. Just 
then something rustled through the air, and a beautiful dove 
fell maimed upon the pavement of the yard. 

“ Drat ’em! will they never stop that rogues' work?” cried 
Franz, with an oath, as he sprang down the steps and picked 
up the bird. Its wing was broken. “ Just see here, wife,” 
he said to her ; “ it’s none of ours, — I thought so. They’re a 
God -forsaken pack of scoundrels over there. They shoot the 
poor lady’s pet doves under her very nose. Ah, if I were the 
Herr Councillor 1” And he shook his fist. 

“ Who is the poor lady, Franz ? And who shoots her 
doves ?” asked Kitty, in surprise. 


AT THE COUNCILLOR'S. 


45 


“ He means Henriette,” said Doctor Bruck. 

“ And they shoot them from the factory,” cried Franz, 
angrily. 

“ What! my brother’s workmen?” 

“ Yes, yes, Fraulein, those men who eat his bread. ’Tis a 
sin and a shame ! There’s the mischief, doctor 1 You see 
now what rogues they are. You want to waste kindness on 
them ; and a pretty business you’d make of it. What will 
you get for your kindness? Small thanks, and such work 
as this. No, no ; down with them 1 — that’s what I think, — 
or there’ll be no living here.” 

“ Are there strikes here too, then ?” Kitty asked the doc- 
tor, whose face wore so grave and beautiful a smile that she 
could not help looking at him. 

“No, that is not the matter here,” he said, shaking his 
head. His calm voice was in striking contrast with Franz’s 
angry gabble. “ Several of the best workmen, having saved 
a little money, asked of Moritz that when the estate was di- 
vided he would allow them to buy a small piece of waste land 
near the factory, — of small value in itself. They wanted to 
build houses upon it to rent to the poorer workmen, who can 
hardly support their families in town, where rents are so high. 
The councillor encouraged their hopes, which he could do 
the more readily since the strip of land still belonged to his 
park ” 

“ Excuse me for interrupting you, Herr Doctor,” Franz 
here interposed, “ but that was the very reason why he could 
not let them have it. I never thought the Frau President 
would allow it. Who would .have such neighbours if they 
could help it? The ladies over there were provoked, and 
right enough they were ; they would not have the building 
lots sold ; no, ‘ they would have it ornamentally planted,’ and 
there was an end of the business. And now the factory- 
hands are furious, and play all sorts of tricks in revenge.” 


46 


A T THE CO VNCILLOR'S. 


“ A miserable revenge, indeed. Poor little thing !” said 
Kitty, taking the dove from Franz. 

“The worst of it is that the worthlessness of single indi- 
viduals is attributed to an entire class. No one can blame 
Frau Urach for not allowing such people near her,” Doctor 
Bruck said, and his face darkened. 

“ I don’t admit that. There are evil and revengeful people 
in all classes of life,” the young girl rejoined, eagerly. “ I see 
a great deal of the lower classes : my foster-father has many 
poor patients ; and where good, nourishing food and other help 
is wanted in addition to his medicines, my dear Lukas comes 
to the rescue, and of course I accompany her. One meets 
with much coarse ingratitude, ’tis true, but there are also 
many true, noble natures to be found among those who are so 
poor, so distressingly needy ” 

“ Not so bad as you think, Fraulein ; that kind of people 
will always deceive you,” Franz interrupted her, with a cou 
temptuous wave of his hand. 

Kitty silently measured him from head to heel with a most 
expressive look. “ Heyday, what a magnificent person Franz 
has come to be !” she said, with evident irony. “ Whom are 
you speaking of? Are you not yourself one of them ? What 
were you in the castle mill ? — A labourer just like those in 
the factory ; a labourer who was forced silently to endure 
many an injustice, as I can testify.” 

The miller’s dusty cheeks grew crimson. He stood utterly 
confounded before the young girl, who had known so well how 
to remind him of the truth. “ Eh, don’t take it amiss, Frau- 
lein ; I meant no harm,” he said, at last, in loutish embarrass- 
ment, extending his broad palm. 

“ I believe there really is no harm in you ; but you have 
been lucky, and like to play the castle miller with money in 
his pockets,” she said, after a moment, laying her little hand 
in his, although the frown of displeasure did not instantly 


AT THE COUNCILLOR'S. 


47 


vanish from her smooth brow. She took out her handkerchief, 
laid the dove in it, and tied it up by the four corners. “ I 
will carry this little sufferer to Henriette,” she said, holding 
the handkerchief carefully like a basket, — it looked like a 
scantily filled traveller’s bundle. 

The doctor opened a little side-door in the court-yard wall, 
Isading directly to the park, and the young girl passed through 
it, but stood still, amazed, upon the other side. “ I do not 
know myself here,” she cried, looking around her with an aii 
of bewilderment ; and then turning to her companion : “ it 
looks as if giant hands had shaken the park to pieces. What 
are those people doing ?” She pointed towards an extensive 
ditch, where a large number of labourers heads were seen just 
above-ground. 

“ They are digging a pond ; the Frau President likes to 
see swans mirrored in clear water.” 

‘‘ And what are they building there, towards the south?” 

“ A tropical conservatory.” 

She looked thoughtful. “ Moritz must be very rich.” 

“ So they say.” It sounded cool and indifferent, to the 
extent almost of an intentional avoidance of hinting his own 
opinion upon the subject. He was a striking person, this 
Doctor Bruck, she could not but admit to herself, as he stood 
there in the red gleam of the late afternoon. There was some- 
thing soldierly erect in his figure, while his handsome bearded 
face, embrowned by sun and air, expressed only a gentle 
gravity. There was not in his bearing a trace of the depres- 
sion of mind that one might suppose consequent upon such a 
misfortune as had befallen him. “ Let me show you the way,” 
he said, as he saw her eyes wander irresolutely hither and 
thither over the unaccustomed surroundings. He offered her 
his arm, and she took it without hesitation. Strange, — just 
so her sister Flora, she thought, walked beside him ; and the 
thought that a few minutes would confront her with this 


48 


AT THE COUNCILLORS. 


sister, intellectually so greatly her superior, fell upon her 
heart like lead. 

She paused, and, after a deep-drawn sigh, said, with an 
embarrassed smile, “ Oh, what a coward I am I I really 
believe I am frightened. Shall I see Flora as soon as I 
reach the villa ?” 

She saw the colour mount darkly to his cheek. “ To the 
best of my belief, she is out driving,” he answered, in an 
under-tone; adding immediately afterwards, as if to avoid 
further questioning, “You will find the household still in a 
certain state of agitation : the prince sent Moritz a patent of 
nobility a few days ago.” 

And he had just thought to tell her this ! “For what ?’ 
she asked, amazed. 

“ Well, he really has done good service in the cause of 
national industry,” he replied, quickly and eagerly, as if to 
bar any unfavourable judgment. “ And Moritz is an exceed- 
ingly kind-hearted man ; he does a great deal for the poor.” 

Kitty shook her head. “ His good fortune makes me 
anxious.” 

“ His good fortune ?” he repeated, with emphasis. “ That 
depends upon how he himself regards these turns of the 
wheel.” 

“ Oh, be sure they are just what he delights in,” she re- 
plied, decidedly. “ I know from his letters that the getting 
and gaining of the goods of this world is his chief aim in 
life. His last communication to me was enthusiastic in tone, 
because my fortune had proved to be so much larger than had 
been expected.” 

He walked on silently for a moment, and then asked, with 
a side-glance at her, “And you, — does all this wealth find 
you coldly indifferent ?” 

Kitty leaned slightly forward, and looked him in the face 
with a pretty air of waywardness. “You doubtless expect a 


AT THE COUNCILLOR'S. 


49 


very grave ‘yes’ from my advanced age, but I can’t bring 
myself to utter it. I find it excessively delightful to be rich.” 

He laughed softly to himself, and asked no further ques- 
tion. They walked on quickly, and soon reached the linden- 
avenue. It had not been altered; fresh gravel had lately 
been spread upon its entire length. “ Ah, there I see a deal 
old-time friend 1” the young girl cried, pointing to a decaying 
wooden bridge, the arches of which spanned the stream at 
Kome distance. 

“ It leads to the fields on the other side ” 

‘‘ Yes, to the orchard and meadows. There is a pretty old 
house there, — once a dependency of the castle, — embowered in 
grape-vines, with a broad flight of stone steps before the door. 
Oh, it is deliciously home-like and peaceful there ! Susie used 
to make the garden her bleaching-ground ; it was blue with 
violets every spring ; I used to find the earliest there always.” 

“You may do so still ; the little place has been mine since 
this morning.” And as he spoke he cast a satisfied glance 
towards it. 

Kitty thanked him, and looked down thoughtfully as she 
walked along upon the fresh gravel. Was her beautiful sister 
to reign as mistress in that house ? Flora, with her haughty 
carriage, her flowing robes I Flora Mangold, whose aspirations 
were so lofty that a palace could hardly content them, at home 
in the lonely house, with its huge green porcelain stove and 
its worn wooden floors I How she must have changed for his 
sake ! 

A distant noise of wheels startled her. She looked up, and 
found herself so close to the villa that she could distinguish 
the pattern of the lace curtains at its windows. All .was quiet 
there, but along the drive that swept by the stately front 
of the mansion a barouche swiftly approached, drawn by a 
pair of magnificent horses and glittering in all the pride of 
fresh varnish and silver mountings. A lady held the reins 
D 6 


50 


AT THE COUNCILLORS^. 


with a firm hand ; her figure, shown to advantage in a dark 
velvet costume, trimmed with fur, sat airily and gracefully 
upon the high cushion. White plumes floated back from her 
brow, and about her classic face and white throat clustered fan 
curls. 

“ Flora 1 Ah, how beautiful my sister is !” Kitty cried, with 
enthusiasm, extending her hand involuntarily towards the fair 
driver; but neither Flora nor the councillor, who sat by hex 
side with folded arms, heard her exclamation. The barouche 
flew past around the opposite corner, and was heard to draw 
up before the principal entrance. 

A pebble flew across Kitty’s path, — the doctor’s cane had 
playfully, as it were, tossed it away. Then first the girl ob- 
served that in her eagerness she was outstripping him, and 
she turned towards him. He was walking at his previous 
pace, but his bearing seemed to have become a trifle more 
erect, more proudly reserved. As she looked at him, his 
glance was hastily averted with what almost seemed em- 
barrassment. She suppressed with difficulty an ironical smile, 
surmising that she had detected in him some such thought 
as, ‘‘ Heavens, what a clumsy creature is here as compared 
with my graceful sylph 1” 

“ Flora’s courage in driving surprises me,” she said, as they 
again walked side by side. 

“ Her companion’s contempt of danger is much more aston- 
ishing. This was a ‘ trial-trip :’ the councillor bought those 
young horses only yesterday.” He was greatly irritated. She 
•ould hear it in his voice, and fell silent in dismay. 


AT THE COUNCILLOR'S. 


51 


CHAPTEK y. 

Neither spoke further. They soon reached the house, 
entering by a side-door while the barouche was driving away 
from the front. A servant informed them that the ladies and 
the Herr Councillor were in the conservatory, in the Frau 
I^resident’s apartments. 

Kitty had regained her self-possession. She handed her card 
to the footman with a “ For the Herr Councillor.” 

“ So formal ?” asked Doctor Bruck, smiling, as the lackey 
moved noiselessly away and vanished. 

“ So formal,” she assented, gravely. “ The greater the dis- 
tance preserved, the better. It would scarcely become me to 
present myself familiarly here. I am even afraid that my 
unannounced arrival may cause the ^ Herr Councillor’ some 
embarrassment.” 

She was not mistaken. The councillor came rushing from 
within, almost stumbling over the threshold in his eagerness, 
exclaiming, “ Good heavens, Kitty !” 

His surprise was ridiculous, for he evidently looked to see 
his ward’s face two feet nearer the ground than he found it ; 
and this well-grown, graceful figure advancing towards him 
said, with an inclination full of womanly pride, — 

“ Dear Moritz, do not be angry with me for not complying 
ffith your suggestions. Indeed, I am rather too big to give 
you the trouble of coming for me.” 

He stood astounded. “ You are right, Kitty. The time is 
past when I could lead you by the hand,” said he, slowly, as 
if lost in contemplation of her face, which was bathed in a 
rosy blush. “ Well, you are heartily welcome !” Then, giving 


52 


AT THE COUNCILLOR'S. 


his hand to Bruck, he added, “ Ah, you met in the hail. 1 
must present you ” 

“Don’t trouble yourself, Moritz; I have attended to all 
that,” the girl interrupted him. “ The Herr Doctor was 
paying his visit to Susie when I reached the mill.” 

The councillor’s face lengthened. “You went first to the 
mill then?” he asked, surprised. “ But, my dear child, Grand- 
mamma Urach was most amiably ready to receive you, and 
naturally expected that you would come directly to her, instead 
of which you have been first to your old fiame Susie ! Pray 
say nothing about it within,” he added, in a hurried whisper. 

“Do you seriously desire that I should not?” The firm 
clear, girlish tone contrasted strangely with his timid whisper. 
“ I cannot deny it if I should be questioned. I really do not 

understand concealment, Moritz ” She paused a moment, 

startled at the sudden fiush that overspread his face, but con* 
eluded resolutely, “ If I have done wrong, I will confess it : 
it cannot cost me my head.” 

“ Oh, if you take my well-meant hint so tragically, there 
is nothing more to be said,” he replied at once, with some 
irritation. “ It will not cost you your head, to be sure, but it 
will imperil your position in my house. Just as you please, 
however. Judge for yourself what success will await your 
direct ‘ up-and-down’ tongue in our refined circles.” 

His tone had already changed to playfulness ; and, before 
anything further could be said to alter his amiable mood, he 
gallantly offered his arm, and conducted her to the former 
dining-hall, adjoining the conservatory, and opened the door. 

Here was no longer the pleasant dining-room, with its 
comfortable old-fashioned leather-covered furniture. The wall 
that had once separated it from the conservatory had disap- 
peared, and in its place slender pillars upheld the arched ceil- 
ing, which was painted with brilliant colours, after the Moorish 
6tyle. Below, a grating of delicate gilt-bronze tracery ran from 


AT THE COUNCILLOR'S. 


53 


pillar to pillar, separating the mosaic floor of the Moorish 
room from the white sand and green sod of the conservatory. 
Behind this grating there was a wealth of greenery and bloom : 
tufts of May-flower and Parma violets grouped about the feet 
of dark laurels, and dragon-trees, with hosts of metallic-leaved 
decorative plants, — all this embowered, framed in, as it were, 
by the pillars, around which were twined clematis-vines, that 
wreathed with white and lilac flowers the slender shafts up to 
the graceful arches they supported. 

Between the two centre pillars Flora was standing, still 
in her driving-dress, apparently on the point of leaving the 
room. The fountain in the conservatory showed its silver 
spray just above the plumes in her hat. One small gloved 
hand lifted the heavy brown velvet skirt, which the evening 
light tinged with faint gold, while the other, from which the 
glove had been withdrawn, rested lightly upon the pillar 
beside her, as delicate and fair as the white clematis flower 
that hung beside it. 

As Kitty entered, she flrst opened her blue eyes wide with 
astonishment, then half dropped the lids in a keen, inquiring 
glance, while a sarcastic smile hovered upon her lips. 

“ Guess, Flora, who this is 1” exclaimed the councillor. 

“No need to puzzle long over that riddle ; it is Kitty, who 
has made the journey alone,” she replied, in her careless yet 
decided manner. “ It would be impossible for any one who 
knew old Frau Sommer to doubt for a moment that this stout 
girl, with a face like a rosy-cheeked apple, is her grandchild ; 
her eyes and hair, however, are strikingly like Clotilde’s, 
Moritz.” 

She lightly disengaged herself from the hanging flowers, 
approached her sister, and, lifting the girl’s chin, kissed hex 
lips. Yes, this was the same incomparable Flora; but her 
long-continued sway over the hearts of men had robbed her 
actions of feminine tenderness. With the same negligence 
6 * 


54 


AT THE COUNCILLOR'S. 


with which she tendered a kiss to her sister after a separation 
of six years, she greeted the doctor with a “ Good-evening, 
Bruck,” extending her hand .to him, not as if he were her 
lover, but rather as though he were some fellow-student. He 
pressed slightly the hand thus given, and acquiesced in its 
instant withdrawal. 

This outward reserve between the lovers seemed to be an 
understood affair. Flora turned gaily towards the conserva- 
tory, exclaiming, with a mocking smile, “ Grandmamma, ouz 
heiress presents herself to the admiring gaze of yourself and 
your friends a month earlier than she was expected.” 

At Flora’s first words the Frau President made her appear- 
ance from behind a group of camellias. Without being aware 
of it herself, perhaps, she had been watching the new-comer 
with that keen attention which most people are apt to bestow 
upon one whom men dub a favourite of fortune. Flora’s 
half-malicious remark quickly altered this expression, how- 
ever. The old lady knitted her brows disapprovingly, and a 
delicate flush tinged her pale face. “I do not remember 
having displayed any extraordinary interest in your sister’s 
heiress-ship,” she said, coldly, with a stern glance of reproof. 

“ If I take great pleasure in Kitty’s arrival, and welcome her 
most cordially, it is because she is my dear lost Mangold’s 
daughter, and your sister.” 

She approached Kitty with outstretched hands, as if to em- 
brace her, but the girl courtesied profoundly and formally, as 
if presented for the first time to her father’s haughty mother- 
in-law. A keen observer would have seen in her conduct a 
shy recoil from all contact, but the Frau President apparently 
regarded it as simply indicative of profound respect. She 
withdrew her hands, and touched the girl’s forehead with 
her lips. “ Did you really come alone ?” she asked, and her . 
eyes turned towards the door, as if half fearing the entrance 
of some unwelcome companion to her guest. 


AT THE COUNCILLOR’S. 


55 


“ Quite alone. I wished for once to try my wings unaided, 
and my Frau Doctor willingly consented.” As if uncon- 
sciously, she passed her slender fingers across her forehead 
where the Frau President's cold lips had rested for an 
instant. 

“Ah, that I can easily believe; there I recognize old Lu- 
kas,” Frau von Urach rejoined, with a gentle laugh of irony. 
“ She, too, was always very independent. Your good father 
spoiled her a little, my child. She did as she chose ; of 
course only what was right ” 

“ And sensible, and therefore papa was glad to intruF^t his 
wild young colt to her care,” Kitty added, with all the frank 
gaiety natural to her. This freedom of manner, however, 
seemed to produce an unfavourable impression. 

The Frau President slightly shrugged her shoulders. 
“ Your father certainly had your welfare at heart, my dear 
Kitty, and I made it a rule never to object to any of his 
plans. But his nature was eminently refined; he thought 
much of a due sense of decorum. Might he not, perhaps, 
have slightly disapproved of his daughter’s dropping down 
thus, sans gene, unceremoniously in the midst of a house- 
hold?” 

“ Likely enough,” Kitty replied. “ But papa would re- 
member what blood runs in this daughter’s veins,” — and 
there was a wayward gleam in her brown eyes. “ ‘ To wander 
when and where it would, ever beseemed the miller’s blood,’ 
Frau President.” 

The councillor cleared his throat and carefully smoothed 
his silky moustache, while the Frau President looked as dis- 
mayed as if an icy blast had suddenly affronted her delicate 
face, and Flora burst into a laugh. “ 0 child of mortality, 
you are delightfully naive !” she cried, clapping her hands 
“ Yes, yes, — ‘ To wander is the miller’s joy,’ ” she quoted. 
“ Only let our youngest make her d4but with such words ov. 


56 


AT THE COUNCILLORS. 


her lips at Moritz’s next grand soiree, grandmamma, and sec 
how every one will stare 1” She looked at the old lady with 
merry malice, but Frau von Urach had entirely regained her 
self-possession. 

“I trust to your sister’s inborn tact, my child,” she saiu, 
as she extended her hand in welcome to the doctor, smiling 
as she did so a smile that just showed the tips of her teeth 
through her drawn lips and left one in doubt whether it were 
sweet or sour. 

“ Tact, tact, — of much use that will be,” Flora repeated, 
shaking her head mockingly. “ Her miller tendencies are 
just as much inborn. The worthy Lukas has failed to in- 
oculate her with a trifle of worldly wisdom, — there’s the rub. 
Indeed, I am really glad you are alone, Kitty ; I am sure we 
shall like you far better than if you were pinned to the apron 
of your prosaic old governess.” 

Kitty had taken off her cap ; the warm, odorous air had 
flushed her cheeks. Thus, her head crowned with thick 
golden-brown braids, she looked still taller. 

“Prosaic? My Frau Doctor?” she cried, gaily. “No 
more poetical woman lives.” 

“ Indeed ? Eaves about the moon, I suppose, copies sen 
timental verses, etc., or even composes them herself, — eh?” 

The young girl’s bright eyes were riveted for a moment 
upon the face of the mocking speaker. “ No, she does not 
copy verses, but quantities of her husband’s manuscript, be* 
cause the printers of the medical periodicals declare that they 
cannot possibly decipher his hieroglyphics,” she said, after 
a short pause. “ She writes neither verses nor romances : she 
has not the time ; and yet she is full of poetry. Ah, you 
smile just as you used to do. Flora, with those deep lines at 
the corners of your mouth ; but I no longer want to run away 
from the sneer. There is a combative vein in me, and I 
maintain that there is real poetry in the way in which my dear 


AT THE COUNCILLOR'S. 


57 


Lukas always knows how to grasp tlie truest and best side 
of life, in her knowledge of how to make home lovely and 
attractive, with beauty of various kinds peeping out from 
every corner, and in the talent she shows for making her 
husband, myself, and her chosen circle of friends content and 
happy.” 

As she finished, a shower of fresh violets came raining 
against her breast, whence they fell to the floor. 

“ Brava, Kitty 1” cried Henriette. She was standing in the 
conservatory, close to the grating, her? pale hands pressed to 
her panting bosom. “ I should like to have my arms about 
your neck this minute, but — just look at me — would it not 
be ridiculous ? You so thoroughly healthy, body and mind, 
and I ” Her voice failed her. 

Kitty threw down the cap she had in her hand and flew to 
her. She tenderly embraced the poor, weak form, wisely 
suppressing the tears that were ready to flow at sight of her 
sister’s emaciated face. 

Flora bit her lip. “ Our youngest” had not only gained 
dignity of appearance, but her clear eyes and outspoken tongue 
gave token also of a courageous independence of thought and 
of speech that might possibly be inconvenient at times. She 
was aware of a sudden foreboding that with the advent of 
this vigorous girl a shadow was to fall upon her path. She 
hastily took off her hat and passed her fingers through the 
curls that had been flattened against her temples. “ Did you 
really bring that poetic traveller’s-bundle all the way from 
Dresden ?” she asked, drily, with a glance at the knotted 
handkerchief hanging upon Kitty’s arm. 

The girl untied it and held out the dove to Henriette. 
“ This little patient belongs to you,” she said. “The poor 
thing has been shot in the wing. It fell upon the pavement 
in the mill-yard.” 

This betrayed her visit to the mill, but Frau von Urach did 
c* 


68 


AT THE COUNCILLOR'S. 


not appear to have heard her last words ; she pointed indig- 
nantly to the wounded bird, and said to the councillor, in a 
tone of reproach, “ That is the fourth, Moritz.” 

“ And my pet besides, my little Silver-crest I” exclaimed 
Henriette, brushing away a tear of grief and vexation. 

The councillor was quite pale with anger and dismay. 
“ Dear grandmamma, I pray you do not blame me 1” he cried, 
almost with violence. “ I do my very best to trace these abom- 
inable outrages to their source, and to prevent them, but their 
perpetrators are concealed in the ranks of two hundred angry 
men,” — he shrugged his shoulders, — “ and there is nothing 
to be done. Therefore I have repeatedly entreated Henriette 
to confine her doves until the excitement is over.” 

“Then it is we who are to submit? Better and better,” 
said the old lady, satirically ; and, as she spoke, she loosened 
and adjusted the cloud of lace about her face and throat, as 
if her agitation made her insufferably warm. “ Can you not 
see, Moritz, that such compliance fairly challenges insolence ? 
They will soon tire of permitted dove-shooting, and aim at 
some nobler game.” 

“ Why dress the matter in such phrases, grandmamma ? 
They themselves do not scruple to speak plainly,” Flora re- 
marked, carelessly. “ My maid found another threatening 
letter on the window-sill when she opened the shutters this 
morning. She was forced to pick up the dirty scrap of paper 
with the tongs to let me read it, and it is now in her room, in 
case you wish it preserved, Moritz. Of course it contains 
nothing new, — the same old story I I should really like to 
know why these men honour me so especially with their 
hatred of a class.” 

Kitty could not help thinking that in this case the hatred 
was not so much of a class as of an individual. She could 
easily understand how this queenly figure, apparelled in rich 
garments, with scornful lines about her mouth and a mascu- 


AT THE COUNCILLOR'S. 


59 


line address, might well be held responsible by outsiders for 
all that emanated from the house. 

“ Their low attacks are all the more ridiculous, since I am 
particularly interested in the social question,” Flora continued, 
with a short laugh, “ and I have given to the world several 
telling articles in favour of the working-classes.” 

“ Nothing can be effected nowadays by mere writing,” 
Doctor Bruck said, from the window where he was standing. 
“ The most gifted pens have written unweariedly upon the 
subject, and the waves of popular agitation rise higher and 
higher, and float all their theories from the paper.” 

Every eye turned towards him. “ Ah 1 and what is to be 
done, then ?” Flora asked, sharply. 

“ Meet the people and their demands face to face. What 
avails it to collect laboriously all the evidence ‘ lor and 
against’ from the mass of memorials and pamphlets that 
cumber your writing-table ” 

“ Oh, pray ” And her eyes lit up with sudden fire. 

“ And add your mite to the pile of dead published matter ?” 
he went on, undeterred. “ These people will scarcely read 
your articles, and if they should, what good would it do them ? 
Words cannot build homesteads for them. The larger part 
of the solution of this problem belongs to the women of the 
families of our capitalists, to their mild influence in modify- 
ing masculine severity, their gentle mediation, their wisdom. 
But very few take the trouble to reflect upon the matter, or, 
what is more important than all else, to question their own 
hearts. They require at the hands of the men the means for 
providing for their needs, which at the present day are almost 
boundless, and never consider that the elements of a fearful 
conflict are gathering and growing at their very doors.” 

The Frau President slowly passed her slender hands down 
the satin folds of her gown, and, without heeding the last re- 
mark, said, complacently, “ I like to give, but I am not used 


60 


AT THE COUNCILLOR'S. 


to put my alms directly into the hands of my beneficiaries 
myself, and thus it may easily occur that the number and 
value of my charities are not known. I am quite willing to 
have them ignored, even although I am thus made respon- 
sible, as it were, for the barbarities to which we are daily 
exposed.” 

“ These barbarities are detestable. No one can condemn 
them more severely than I,” Doctor Bruck rejoined, in a tone 
as cold as her own, “ but ” 

“Well, ‘but’? You still maintain that we women of the 
capitalists’ families have provoked them ?” 

“ Yes, Frau President. You have deterred the capitalist 
from coming to the assistance of his people when their de- 
mand was not unreasonable, not one of those extravagant 
requirements that at present cast suspicion and discredit upon 
the cause of an entire party. They did not ask for charity, 
but simply to be allowed, with the help of their employer, to 
struggle upwards to a happier daily life.” 

The old lady tapped him lightly on the shoulder, and said, 
kindly, but in a curt, decisive tone, evidently intended to cut 
short all discussion, “ You are an idealist, Herr Doctor.” 

“ Only a philanthropist,” he rejoined, with a faint smile, 
and took his hat to go. 

Flora had turned her back to him, and walked to the other 
window. There never was a woman’s face more fitted to ex- 
press enmity than was that clear-cut profile, that mouth so 
closely shut over the teeth. Had not the man plainly said 
that she had laboriously sought to collect the ideas of others ? 
— she, with her talents ! To be sure, she had never soiled 
her dainty foot with the dust of her brother-in-law’s factory ; 
it was true that she knew nothing of the life of those people 
whom the clamour for reform had assembled beneath one ban- 
ner, where they were grown to be a power that thrust itself 
like a wedge into social order, threatening to shatter it. And 


AT THE COUNCILLORS. 


61 


wily need she know by sight and contact what she described ? 
Nonsense ! Of what use, then, were intellect and imagination ? 
Until to-day the doctor had never uttered a syllable with 
regard to her literary elForts, — “ from timid reverence,” she 
had supposed, — and now he suddenly treated her work with 
such scant courtesy , — he ! “I cannot conceive, grandmamma,” 
she exclaimed, with flashing eyes, “ how you can dignify him 
with the title of idealist. To my mind, Bruck handles the 
great subject prosaically enough. According to his plan, we 
must instantly strip ourselves of every elegance and comfort, 
and dress in sackcloth and ashes ; never must we indulge in 
intellectual pursuits, but must concoct soup for the poor. To 
insist upon quiet and retirement in our own park is a deadly 
sin ; of course we must encourage the hopeful school-chil- 
dren to romp and play directly underneath our windows, etc., 
etc. ; and if we are not docile, he threatens us with a ghost 
at our doors.” She laughed a short, hard laugh. “ Our 
philanthropist overshoots the mark terribly with these sym- 
pathies of his. If the conflict that he foretells ever really 
comes to pass, the ghost will make as short work with him 
as with us.” 

“ I have not much to lose,” the doctor said, with a smile. 

Flora hastily approached him. Her curls stirred lightly, 
and her heavy velvet skirt swept the marble floor. 

“ Oh, since this morning that is not true, Bruck,” she said, 
ironically. “ You are a real-estate owner, Moritz tells me, 
Seriously, have you fulfilled your yesterday’s thi eat and pur 
chased that wretched barracks on the other side o ’ the ri\er ?' 

“ My threat?” 

“ What else can I call your presenting to me such a picture 
of the future ? You have, as you spoke of doing yesterday, 
invested your savings in a spot that is to me the ne 'plus 
ultra of desolation, poverty, and repulsive ugliness. You cer- 
tainly cannot have possessed yourself of this gem simply to 

6 


62 


AT THE COVNCILLOHS. 


feast your eyes upon its beauties, and therefore I ask you 
seriously, ‘ Who is to live there ?’ ” 

“ You never need cross the threshold.” 

“ I certainly never shall, — you may rely upon that. 

Rather ” The glance with which the doctor raised his 

hand to interrupt her was a riddle hard to read, but it had 
such power in it that it silenced those beautiful lips. 

“ I purchased the house for my aunt, only reserving one 
room in it for my use, — a corner where I can enjoy a leisure 
hour of study amid rural surroundings,” he said, immediately, 
and far more placidly than could have been anticipated from 
the former expression of his face. 

“Ah, I wish you joy of it I A special summer retreat 1 
And in winter, Bruck ?” 

“ In winter I must content myself with the green room, 
which you have assigned me in our future dwelling.” 

“ To tell the truth, that house does not please me. There 
is such constant noise from the street about a corner house, it 
would greatly disturb me when I wanted to work.” 

“Well, then, I will simply pay off the house-agent, and 
look for another,” he rejoined, with imperturbable equanimity. 

Flora turned away with a shrug, so that Kitty could look 
directly into her face. It seemed as if she would have stamped 
upon the floor with vexation, while her head was thrown back 
and her eyes sought the ceiling, as if to say, “ Gracious heaven, 
is there no way to reach him ?” 

At that moment the Frau President rang the bell so sharply 
that the sound echoed from the end of the long corridor. 
The old lady looked greatly aggrieved ; explanations so devoid 
of all taste and tact as these should never take place in h&r 
presence. “You can scarcely have a high opinion of the 
hospitality and breeding of your brother’s household, Kitty,” 
she said to the young girl. “No one has taken off your 
travelling-jacket or offered you a chair; you are forced in- 


AT THE COUNCILLOR’S. 


m 

stead, whether you will or not, to listen to useless discussions, 
and left standing upon the cold marble, while warm rugs are 
at hand.” She pointed, as she spoke, to two opposite corners 
of the room, furnished with luxurious chairs and lounges and 
laid with costly Smyrna rugs, and then she gave orders to the 
servant who entered to instruct the housekeeper with regard 
to apartments for the guest. 

Thus the bystanders were relieved of the disagreeable sen- 
sation left in their minds by the sharp interchange of words 
between the lovers. The councillor hastened to relieve his 
ward of her jacket, and Henriette, her wasted cheeks flushed 
with a feverish colour, left the conservatory to attend to her 
dove. 

“ Will you not stay to tea, Herr Doctor ?” Frau von Urach ' 
asked the physician, as he came to take leave of her. He 
excused himself on the plea of visits to patients, — a plea 
which Flora heard with a sarcastic smile. This, however, 
he did not appear to notice. He shook hands with her and 
with the councillor ; to Kitty he made a chivalric and respect- 
ful inclination, not at all as if to a new young sister-in-law : 
she was still a stranger to him, and the others appeared to 
find this view of the matter entirely correct. Henriette left 
the room with him. 

“ My dear Flora, I must for the future strictly forbid the 
recurrence of such distasteful scenes as this which we have 
just been compelled to witness,” the Frau President said, in 
a stern voice and with a deep frown, as soon as the door had 
closed upon the pair. “You have reserved to yourself entire 
freedom to attain your end in the manner that shall best 
please yourself ; so far so good, — ^you have hitherto encoun- 
tered not the slightest opposition on my part ; but I protest 
earnestly as soon as you show an inclination to fight out the 
wretched affair in my presence. As I said before, that I 
strictly forbid 1 Must I repeat ” 


64 


AT THE COUNCILLORS. 


“ Dear grandmamma,” the young lady interrupted her, in a 
tone of contemptuous banter, “ do not repeat ! I know it all.” 
Commit murder or arson, if you will, in this house, only see 
that the Frau President Urach arises like a phoenix from the 
ashes. Forgive me, grandmamma ; I will never do so again. 
The house is large enough ; I need not carry out my designs 
directly in your sight. If my work were only not made so 
immensely difficult 1 I am afraid that some fine day I shall 
lose patience and ” 

“ Flora I” the councillor exclaimed, in a voice expressing 
both warning and entreaty. 

“Yes, yes, Herr von Komer, I perfectly understand that 
I must pay due regard to your new honours. Heavens I how 
my poor shoulders are weighted down ! And why should I 
do penance because hearts cling to me like burrs?” 

She took her hat, and gathered up her train to go, — then 
paused as she passed Kitty. 

“ You see, my dear,” she said, putting her forefinger be- 
neath her sister’s chin and turning her face up to her, “ this 
all comes of a poor girl’s giving way to sentiment for a mo 
ment and imagining herself in love. She suddenly finds 
herself in a trap, and admits sorrowfully that the trite old 
doctrine, ‘ See, ye who join in endless union, that heart with 
heart be in communion,’ contains a terrible truth. Think of 
your sister, and take care of yourself, child.” 

She left the room, and Kitty looked after her in wide-eyef 
wonder. What a strange fiancee her beautiful sister was I 


AT THE COUNCILLOR’S. 


65 


CHAPTEE VI. 

Near the western boundary of the park stood the remains 
oi the former Castle Baumgarten. Of the entire structure, once 
surrounded by a fosse, only a single tower — of considerable 
dimensions, however, — was left, flanked on one side by the 
blackened rujn of an ancient wing of the building. Sixty 
years previously, the old pile had been torn down. Its possessor 
at that time, residing most of the year in foreign parts, had 
erected “ Villa Baumgarten” on the opposite side of the estate, 
near the frequented road, in order that when in his own coun- 
try he might “ live among his kind,” and the grandly-hewn 
blocks of granite from the old castle had been used in build- 
ing the modern villa. The tower, with the ruin adjoining it, 
had been spared as an ornament to the park. It crowned 
an artificial mound covered with mossy turf. Its base was 
encircled by a wilderness of woodland shrubs and plants, 
hedge-roses and blackberry-vines crept in and out of the 
huge window-arches in the ruin and nestled among its frag- 
ments, while the wild hop clambered everywhere, covering 
the grim dark stones with a wealth of greenery. 

This ruin, encircled by the water of the fosse, certainly 
answered the end for which it had first been preserved ; bat 
the succeeding generation, being of an eminently practical 
turn of mind, had drained the ditch, and planted vegetables 
in the damp, rich soil. The castle miller had declared upon 
purchasing the estate that this proceeding had been the only 
sensible thing done by its former possessors, and had appro- 
priated this spot for his own special use. As a child, Kitty 
had taken great delight in the ‘‘little valley,” as she called 
E G* 


66 


AT THE COUNCILLOR'S. 


the former fosse. Of course, she then thought and knew 
nothing of how romance had been outraged in this transfor- 
mation ; she would while away hours wandering and plucking 
with Susie through the wilderness of bean-poles and young 
pea-vines, never dreaming that if the dam should suddenly 
give way the waters would overwhelm her with Susie and all 
the green luxuriance. 

Now, on the fifth day after her arrival, she found herself 
for the first time in this retired part of the park, and paused 
bewildered. The hop-vines still wove a leafless net-work about 
the walls, and the turf on the mound showed as yet no green 
blade of grass, but the April sunshine lay broad and full upon 
the ruin-crowned hill, throwing it into picturesque relief against 
the background of dark firs that covered the mountain-range 
in the distance. There was no trace of fresh mortar on the 
walls to tell of modern repair, every stone was old, yet none 
were wanting ; the high arched windows in the tower, formerly 
closed by decaying wooden shutters, gaped wide, and within the 
stone window-frames the sunny, tremulous air glittered as if 
some imprisoned sunbeam were weaving there a mysterious 
golden web. And fresh life was stirring about the ruined 
ancestral home of the Von Baumgartens; above the battle- 
ments of the tower white and coloured doves were wheeling in 
airy flight, and from the thicket beneath the ancient chestnuts 
which flanked it on the south, two roes came noiselessly and 
wandered about the hill. The “ little valley” had vanished ; 
and, as of old, a shining stream girdled the hill around, bury- 
ing beneath its bubbling waters, as if no human hand had 
ever usurped its bed, all that had once bloomed and flourished 
there. 

A bridge suspended by chains spanned the ditch, and, 
guarding its hither side, lay a huge bull-dog, his head on his 
forepaws, keeping a watchful eye upon the opposite bank of 
the stream. 


AT THE COUNCILLOR'S. 


67 


“ Here you have Moritz’s Tusculum, Kitty,” said Henriette, 
who was leaning upon her sister’s arm. “ Once a castle-keep, 
with its paraphernalia of instruments of torture and sighs of 
mortal agony ; only four months ago an undisputed refuge for 
owls, bats, and my doves ; and now drawing-room, bedroom, 
and even treasure-chamber, of the Herr Councillor von Rbmer. 
Tn truth, the place still looks ruinous enough, almost as if the 
next strong wind would overthrow the walls, but all is really 
strong and firm ; and thei^e, beneath those projecting stones, 
Moritz’s servant has his room ; the fellow is to be envied.” 

Flora had come with them. “No accounting for tastes I” she 
said, drily, with a shrug. “ Keally a striking and original idea 
for a plebeian brain, eh, Kitty?” She passed her sisters and 
crossed the bridge. A touch of her little foot thrust away the 
dog from her path, and she ascended the hill. The roes fied 
timidly from her rustling silken robes, the doves fiew away 
from the lower window-sills, and the dog growled, and slowly 
followed the lordly lady for a few steps. Standing above, her 
slender hands upon the latch of the brazen-studded door of 
the tower, and dressed in heavy light-gray silk, gleaming like 
silver in the sunlight, with puffed sleeves and skirt caught up 
on one side, she was the living impersonation of the beautiful 
emperor’s daughter of the Kyflfhauser. 

Involuntarily Kitty looked from her to Henriette, clinging 
to her arm, and her heart ached. The frail figure, its emaci- 
ation showing plainly in the close-fitting gay-coloured dress, 
was actually balanced upon immensely high heels. Her breath 
came in short gasps ; but her whole costume was gaudy, and 
bad so coquettish an air that but for pity one could have 
laughed. Within the last few days she had had repeated 
attacks of asthma, almost to suffocation, and yet she would 
not be ill : the world should not know that she suffered. A 
single compassionate glance, any pitying remark, made her 
angry and bitter. She had been more ill than usual ; for 


68 


AT THE COUNCILLOR'S. 


Doctor Bruck, whose patient she was, and who could always 
give her relief, was away. A few hours after leaving the villa 
upon Kitty’s arrival there, he had received a telegraphic dis- 
patch from a friend calling him to L g, to remain there 

for several days, he informed Flora in a short note. Any 
medical aid from Doctorr von Bar the sick girl persistently 
refused to accept. “ Bather die 1” she had whispered, when 
struggling with one of her attacks. Kitty had tended her 
sister with the greatest care, and now, putting her arm around 
her waist, she led her across the bridge towards the ruin. 

How often as a child she had run up that hill and scram- 
bled through the underbrush ! How often she had peeped 
through the big key-hole of the door of the tower ! The 
servants had said that in its cellars there was still stored pow- 
der from the Thirty Years’ War, and that the walls were hung 
with “ all sorts of horrid things.” But she had never seen 
anything within but black darkness. A heavy, mouldy air had 
been wafted out upon her childish face with terrifying elFect ; 
and if an owl above happened to flap his wings, she would 
rush down the hill as if pursued by the furies, and cling with 
both hands to Susie’s apron, quaking with fright. Now she 
stood inside, at the foot of a narrow, carpeted winding stair- 
case, and admired the effect produced by the wealthy mer- 
chant’s money. Without, a crumbling ruin ; within, the home 
of knightly ease. The room her childish eye had never been 
able to pierce was a spacious vaulted hall, the massive arches 
of which supported the entire structure above. On the walls 
the “ horrid things” were still hanging, — ^helmets and various 
weapons, — but they were tastefully arranged, and flashed back 
from their burnished surfaces the sunlight that streamed 
through the windows. To preserve the ruinous aspect from 
without, there was no division into panes of the glass in the 
windows ; one unbroken sheet had been set into the stone 
frames, hence the strange glitter in them when seen from the 


AT THE COUNCILLOR'S. 


69 


outside. The place had been what was called in the olden time 
a fortress ward ; in times of supreme danger, a place of refuge 
for the dwellers in the castle. As such, its upper story had 
been furnished after the most primitive fashion ; now, its splen- 
dour far eclipsed that of the finest ancient banqueting-hall of 
the old castle, so long since swept from the face of the earth . 

When the two sisters reached the first room of the upper 
story they found Flora gracefully reclining among the crimson 
cushions of a lounge, with a lighted cigarette between her 
fingers, looking on while the councillor brewed the afternoon 
coffee in the silver coffee-pot. He had invited his three 
sisters-in-law to take coffee with him this afternoon. 

“ Well, Kitty?” he called out to the young girl upon her 
entrance, directing her attention by a wave of his hand, as he 
spoke, to all that he had effected. 

She paused upon the threshold, a black veil thrown loosely 
over her golden-brown braids, her eyes full of laughter, her 
young frame vigorous and supple as if sprung from the giant 
knights Von Baumgarten. 

“Most romantic, Moritz 1 The illusion is perfect !” she 
answered, gaily. “ That fellow down there,” and she pointed 
through the nearest window ta the gleaming girdle of water, 
“ might terrify us with his martial air, did we not know that 
a councillor of commerce of the nineteenth century sits within 
his circle.” 

He contracted his fine eyebrows, and cast from beneath 
them a dubious glance at her face. She did not notice it. 
“ It certainly was hardly fair to grow turnips and cabbages 
in the bed of the fosse,” she continued. “ I see that now, 
although the ‘ little valley’ was a favoured spot in my remem- 
brance. Still, it is a strange and interesting fact, that the 
merchant of to-day renews the barriers which even former 
knightly lords of the soil wearied of and at last destroyed as 
superfluous.” 


TO 


AT THE COUNCILLORS. 


Do not forget, my dear Kitty, that I myself now belong 
among these latter,” he replied, in a tone of considerable 
pique. “ It is sad to think that an ancient race should so 
adapt itself to the spirit of the age as ruthlessly to abolish old 
and honourable customs and institutions. It is a crying out- 
rage upon us, their successors.” 

“ Idiot ! He is more Catholic than the Pope,” Henriette 
muttered, angrily. She advanced farther into the room, while 
Kitty mechanically closed the door behind her without avert- 
ing her half-startled, half-thoughtful gaze from her brother-in- 
law. As a child she had, in common with all who came in 
contact with him, been very fond of him. His father had 
been an honest, hard-working mechanic, and Moritz, left an 
orphan at an early age, of striking personal beauty and in- 
gratiating address, had been received as an underling in the 
establishment of the wealthy banker Mangold, whose daughter 
he eventually married. Kitty knew how devoted he had been 
to her sister Clotilde until she died ; she had always seen him 
submissive even to servility to her father, and he had been 
uniformly amiable and kind even towards those beneath him ; 
and yet there was now hovering about those finely-chiselled 
lips a distinctly-stamped expression of arrogance. The rope- 
maker’s son was contemptuously overthrowing the ladder by 
which he had climbed thus high, and was so dazzled by his 
good fortune that he fell naturally into the jargon of a gen- 
uine country squire. 

Henriette had coiled herself up on a low cushioned seat, 
and, clasping her hands around Jier knees, said, sharply, “Dear- 
est Moritz, I pray you do not take quite so much state upon 
yourself ; you might provoke some old mistress of these wal)^ 
to awaken and see her grand successor and lord of the cast e 
making coffee, while the castle dame reclines comfortably, 
guroking cigarettes. Oh, how she would stare !” 

Flora did not stir a hair’s-breadth from her position : she 


AT THE COUNCILLORS. 


71 


only took the cigarette slowly from between her lips, and 
asked, in a tone of assumed indifference, as she knocked off 
the ashes with her third finger, “ Does it annoy you, my 
dear ?” 

“ Me r’ Henriette turned towards her with a hard laugh. 

You know I am never annoyed by the freaks and follies of 
your genius. Flora ; the world is wide : it is easy to avoid” 

“ Hush ! don’t be so bitter, child. I asked frbm the 
purest sympathy for your poor chest.” 

The flitting crimson came and went upon the invalid’s thin 
cheek, and tears glittered in her eyes, but she controlled her- 
self. “ Thanks ; but expend your care first upon yourself. 
Flora. I know how your every fibre is longing to throw that 
smoky thing out of the window, for it discolours your white 
teeth like meerschaum, and sends a perpetual shiver of disgust 
through you, and yet you persist in the heroic self-subjuga- 
tion. From a mania for the emancipation of woman ? Pshaw 1 
you have far too much taste. Flora, to have recourse to such 
distinctive signs of a blue-stocking, and you certainly would 
not sacrifice beauty to a rage for public glorification and 
applause ” 

“ See what a lofty opinion the dear creature entertains of 
me,” Flora said to the councillor, shaking her head, and 
laughing ironically. 

“ You are practising smoking, and will probably continue 
to do so for three or four weeks longer,” Henriette continued, 
undeterred, but with evident irritation, “because there are 
people who detest like the breath of the plague the odour of 
tobacco from a woman’s mouth. You are trying to offend ; 
this is your latest attempt to ” 

Flora raised herself from her reclining posture. “ And il 
it is, Fraulein Henriette ?” she asked, with an air of lofty dis- 
dain. “ Is it not my affair, solel} , whether I choose to attract 
or repel ?” 


72 


AT THE COUNCILLOR' 


“ Not at all. Your only duty in this case is to please,” 
Henriette declared, with vehemence. 

“ Nonsense I There is no marriage ring here yet.” And she 
pointed to the third finger of her left hand. “ Thank God, 
no 1 And you of all others should be the last to lay a lance 
in rest in this cause. You are ill, poor child, and more than 
ever dependent upon your physician ; but he prefers to take a 
pleasure-trip, and to remain weeks away perhaps, assigning no 
reason for his absence.” 

Here the councillor put in a word. “ Assigning no reason, 
Flora, because he does not happen to have told you all the 
why and the wherefore of his absence 1” he exclaimed, with 
irritation. “ Brack never speaks of his profession, or of any- 
thing connected with it, as you well know. He has doubtless 
been summoned to some patient ” 

“ To L g, where distin^ished professors from the 

university can be had ? Ha ! ha ! a charming idea ! Don’t 
be ridiculous, Moritz! But this is a point upon which I 
positively decline to argue with you.” She held out her 
hand for her cofiee-cup, and slowly sipped the delicious bev- 
erage. Henriette sullenly declined the offered refreshment ; 
she arose, and stepped to the glass door that led out upon the 
adjoining ruin. It was the remains of a colonnade which 
had once connected the tower with the castle, and two finely- 
vaulted arches, resting upon slender pillars, now formed a 
kind of balcony whence there was a magnificent view. 

She tore open one of the glass folding-doors, and, pressing 
her clasped hands convulsively to her breast, greedily inhaled 
the fresh air. In vain ; for a moment she seemed in danger 
of suffocation. Kitty and the councillor hastened to support 
the sufferer, and even Flora arose and reluctantly threw away 
her cigarette. “ I suppose you will accuse these harmless 
wreaths of smoke of causing this attack,” she said, fretfully, 
“ but I know better. You ought to be in bed, Henriette, not 


AT THE COUNCILLOR'S. 


73 


out in this dry spring air, which is positive poison for your 
disease. I warned you, but you never heed advice, and would 
fain persuade us that you are glowing with health and strength. 
And you are just as obstinate with regard to your medical 
adviser ” 

“ Because I do not intrust my poor lungs to the first poi- 
Boner at hand,” Henriette concluded her sentence in a weak 
but very decided tone. 

“ Oh, dear! you mean my poor old councillor of medicine,” 
jried Flora, smiling, and shrugging her shoulders. “ Go on. 
child, if it pleases you ! I know nothing, it is true, about his 
medicines, but I can affirm that he has never yet been so 
clumsy as nearly to cut a patient’s throat.” 

The councillor turned a pale face towards her and involun- 
tarily raised his hand, as if to stop the slanderous words upon 
her lips ; he was speechless as he timidly glanced at Kitty. 

“ Heartless 1” gasped Henriette. 

“ Not heartless, but bold enough to call things by their 
right names, even if the hard words make my own wounds 
bleed afresh. Where is the merit else of uncompromising 
truth ? Think of that terrible evening, and ask yourself who 
was right 1 I knew that a fall from the heights of a mere 
superficial adventitious celebrity was sure to come. It has 
come, more disastrously and completely than even I feared, 
as you must admit if you would not dispute the unanimous 
verdict of the public. That I will not share this fall every 
one who knows me must be aware. I cannot smooth over 
and adjust matters as grandmamma so well understands how 
to di). I would not do so if I could. No part is more lidic- 
ulous than that of those simple-souled women who continue 
openly to adore where the world unites in pronouncing that 
there is nothing worthy of worship.” 

She opened the other folding-door and stepped out upon 
the balcony. She had spoken with passionate emphasis ; the 
D 7 


74 


AT THE COUNCILLORS. 


pale marble tint of her Roman profile, seen clearly cut against 
the blue sky of spring, glowed with a gloomy fire ; her eyes 
were full of disdain, her nostrils quivered nervously, — she 
was the very personification of burning impatience. 

“ At least, it was his part to convince me. — How I would 
in-ve defended him then, both with tongue and pen !” she 
continued, thrusting her slender fingers in among the rustling 
tracery of withered vines. “ But he chose to reply to my first 
and only question upon the subject, by an icy look, haughty 
as a Spaniard ” 

“ Such a reply should have sufficed you ” 

“ Not so, my dear Moritz ; it was a very convenient and 
easy answer, and I am sceptical with regard to speaking looks 
and gestures : I require more. But I show you that my will 
is good in the matter by repeating again what I said at first : 

‘ Prove to me and to the world that he did his duty well, for 
you were present !”’ 

He retreated hastily from the threshold of the door and 
put his hand over his eyes : the sunlight shining full upon the 
balcony was insupportable to him. “ You know well enough 
that I cannot do what you ask ; I am no surgeon,” he replied, 
in a stifled tone, that was lost in an almost inarticulate murmur., 

“ Not another word, Moritz,” Henriette exclaimed. “ Your 
every attempt to defend him gives some colour to this girl’s 
cowardly indecision.” Her large eyes, glowing with internal 
fever, were riveted with an expression of hatred upon her 
sister’s beautiful face. “ It would be best that your cruel de- 
signs should attain their end as soon as possible, — to speak 
plainly, that your evident estrangement should induce him vol- 
untarily to break the bond between you. Your heart, cleaving 
as it does to mere externals, would be small loss to him ; but 
he loves you, and would rather contract an unhappy marriage, 
knowing it to be such, than resign you. His whole conduct 
proves this ” 


AT THE COUNCILLOR'S. 


75 


Unfortunately,” Flora said over her shoulder, by way of 
interjection. 

“ And therefore I will stand by him, and defeat your mach^ 
inations if I can,” Henriette concluded, in a louder voice, 
and with quivering lips. 

The glance that Flora here bestowed upon her frail, agitated 
sister sparkled with cruel scorn, but, as she looked, a startling 
revelation seemed to dawn upon her ; she suddenly put her 
right arm around Henriette’s shoulders, and drew her towards 
her, as she whispered in her ear, with a sardonic smile, “ Why 
not make him happy yourself, child ? You will meet with no 
opposition from me, — be sure of that.” 

To such wanton malice can vanity prompt a petted, spoiled, 
and worshipped woman ! Kitty stood near enough to under- 
stand the whisper, and, although she had hitherto held herself 
passively aloof, her eyes now fairly flashed with honest indig- 
nation. 

Flora saw it. “ Just look what a pair of eyes the girl can 
make! Can you not understand a joke, Kitty?” she asked, 
half startled, half amused. “ I will not harm your petted 
nursling, — although it really would be well to put a final stop 
to Henriette’s petty malice. These two people,” she pointed 
to the councillor and Henriette, “ imagine it their duty to 
form my morals, and you, our youngest, just out of school, 
your head filled with crochet, worsted-work, and a few Fiench 
phrases, side with them against me. You little goose, do you 
really think yourself capable of passing judgment upon your 
sister Flora ?” She laughed aloud, and pointed to a chestnut- 
tree, from the boughs of which a white dove was flying. The 
bird flew high in air, a dazzling point of light. “Look, 
child, a moment ago it nestled amid the branches among its 
fellows, now its outspread wings gleam like silver, and it 
hangs in the blue, lonely firmament a shining spectacle for 
mortal eyes to gaze upon. Perhaps you may one day under- 


76 


AT THE COUNCILLORS. 


Btand what thirsting, aspiring soul it resembles. Apropos. 
Moritz,” she suddenly interrupted herself, beckoning the 
councillor out upon the balcony, “ the old barracks that 
Bruck has just purchased must lie behind that grove, — I see 
smoke curling above the trees ” 

“ Simply because there is a fire kindled upon the hearth,’ 
the councillor replied, smiling. “ The dean’s old widow 
arrived there yesterday.” 

“ And is in that miserable old place just as it is ?” 

“ Just as it is. Indeed, the castle miller was too careful a 
man to allow any of his property to go to ruin ; there is not 
a nail wanting in the house, not a slate missing on the roof.” 

“ Well, I wish the widow Godspeed. Her old-fashioned 
furniture and the late dean’s portrait will suit those walls 
extremely well, — there will be room enough for her pickle- 
jars and bake-oven, — and the water for scouring runs past the 
very door.” She affected a slight nervous shiver, and, as 
though involuntarily, lifted her richly-trimmed skirt, as if 
from a freshly-scoured ffoor. “We had better shut the 
doors,” she said, hastily retreating into the room ; “ the wind 
blows the smoke over here. Pah !” — she waved her pocket- 
handkerchief in the air before her face, — “I really believe 
the worthy woman is baking her everlasting pancakes even 
before she has a chair in the house to sit down upon. She is 
never content unless she is cooking.” And she closed the 
folding-doors. 

In the mean time, Henriette had quietly left the room. 
She had started in terror at Flora’s whisper, like some sleep 
walker who, on awaking, finds himself on the brink of an 
abyss. She had not spoken since, and had now mounted to 
the uppermost story of the tower, where the doves and rooks 
had their nests. Kitty took up her parasol, — she knew that 
the invalid always desired solitude when she thus withdrew 
from the society of others ; but this room within these 


AT THE COUNCILLOR'S. 


77 


thick walls, the oppressive splendour on every side, and her 
domineering, capricious sister rustling to and fro, had a most 
depressing effect upon the young girl. The air that Flora 
breathed always seemed full of inflammable matter. There- 
fore she determined to pay Susie a visit. 

“ Just as you please ; go to the mill if you like,” the 
councillor said, fretfully, after in vain endeavouring to detain 
her ; “ but look here flrst.” He drew aside a heavy Gobelin 
curtain, and behind it, in a deep recess, stood a new iron safe. 
“ That belongs to you, you lucky child ; here is your ‘ Shake, 
shake, little tree, gold and silver over me.’ ” And he passed his 
hand almost caressingly over the cold iron. “Everything 
that your grandfather owned of real estate is in there, turned 
into paper. Those papers are working for you day and night ; 
you may draw incredible sums of money from the world in 
this quiet corner. The castle miller knew how to grasp for- 
tune at the flood, — his will is proof of that, — but even he 
could hardly dream how his wealth would increase metamor- 
phosed thus.” 

“ So that you are on the way to become the best match in 
the country, Kitty, and, like the man in the fairy-tale, can 
floor your dining-room at your marriage with silver dollars,” 
Flora cried, from the lounge, where she was again reclining, 
with a book in her hand. “ ’Tis a pity ! Don’t be angry, 
child, but indeed I am afraid you have been drilled in too 
strait-laced a morality to know how to fling brilliantly abroad 
your golden shower.” 

“Wait and see,” laughed the young girl. “ In the mean 
time, I have no present right to take one dollar locked up 
there.” She pointed to the safe. “ With regard to the castle 
mill, Moritz, I should like to attain my majority, if only for a 
single day.” 

“ Does it not suit you, ‘ lovely miller maid’ ?” 

“ My mill ? As well as my vigorous youth, Moritz. But 1 
7 * 


78 


AT THE COUNCILLOR’S. 


was in tlie mill-garden yesterday. It is so large that Franz is 
obliged to leave all that portion bordering on the high-road 
uncultivated, for want of time and labourers. He wishes to 
sell it to you, — it would divide very well into lots for villas, 
and would be a good investment, he says ; but I think cottages 
orn4es might just as well be built elsewhere, and I would 
rather let your people, who wish to build near the factorv, 
have the land.” 

“ Ah 1 make them a present of it, Kitty ?” 

Such an idea never occurred to me. You need not smile 
so compassionately and contemptuously, Moritz. Such ‘ ex- 
aggerated sentimentality’ would disgrace me, truly, in the 
Villa Baumgarten. And, indeed, the people do not ask a gift 
or an alms, as Doctor Bruck says ” 

“ Ah, ‘ as Doctor Bruck says’ ? Is he your oracle already?” 
cried Flora, sitting upright on the lounge and fixing her eyes 
with a strange, changeful expression upon her young sister’s 
face. 

Kitty’s colour deepened for a moment, but she returned 
the gaze with cool gravity, and continued, without paying 
any heed to Flora’s words : “ I know, besides, how valuable 
is the fruit of one’s own exertions. I prize what I earn myself 
more highly than the richest gift, and upon this ground the 
people should pay, — pay exactly what they offer for your land.” 

“ You show a fine capacity for business, Kitty,” laughed 
the councillor. “ My barren strip of shore would be cheap 
enough at the price they offer ; and that piece of fine arable 
land near the mill ! . . . No, child ; glad as I should be to 
please you, my conscience as your guardian cannot allow you 
to lay aside your minority for a single hour.” 

“ Well, then, your enterprising ‘ hands’ must content them- 
selves for the present,” she rejoined, neither surprised nor ir 
ritated. “ I know that at the end of three years I shall thinb 
mst as I do at present, and maybe then I shall even be rask 


AT THE COUNCILLORS. 


79 


enough to lend the people the money for their building, with- 
out interest.” 

She bade a smiling farewell, and left. 


CHAPTER VII. 

Slowly she descended the winding staircase, so narrow 
m the upper half of the tower that there would have been no 
room for anything more substantial by her side than the ghost 
of some ancestral dame. Poor ancestral dame I There was 
no place for her here now, even although the new-made noble- 
man above-stairs should desire that as an appendage to his 
greatness he should own a ghostly white lady to look after the 
fortunes of his house, could he but buy one by as heavy a 
drain upon his money-bags as his patent of nobility had 
already cost him ! There upon the walls hung the armour of 
her knightly race, — the weapons with which the old giants 
had striven for honour and shame, for lands and blood. The 
heavier the dints upon the old breastplates, the more frequent 
the blood-stains upon them, the more precious would they have 
been held, the more caressing would have been the nightly 
touch of her ghostly fingers. Now they glittered without a 
stain upon the walls, and the weapons of the new inmate of 
the tower were his money-bags. 

Yes, the strange foreign element that vibrated through all 
the social intercourse of the family at the villa, the money- 
fever, the spirit of speculation, had intruded here also in this 
mimicry of the old chivalric life. It infected the air, it 
glided up and down the stairs, and the mighty tankards on 
the sideboards in the hall were not more of a mockery in the 
soft hands whose only labour was to cut coupons than were the 


80 


AT THE COUNCILLORS, 


giant locks and bolts, but lately burnished afresh, upon the 
iron cellar-door that kept guard over the councillor’s cham- 
pagne, while money by thousands of thousands was locked 
up in the safe above, with its small decorated key-hole. The 
historic powder from the Thirty Years’ War was still in the 
cellar, — tolerated there by the councillor, only, as Henriette 
siverrtd, that the inquisitive visitor might have an oppor- 
tunity of seeing the costly wines arranged beside it in well- 
ordered rows. It was this that made Kitty a stranger in the 
home of her childhood ; this display, this estimate of effect, 
for which no outlay of money was too great; this feverish 
effort to proclaim to the world , that the basis of everything 
here was of gold, — all this was in direct contradiction to the 
spirit of the old Mangold firm, which had never thus asserted 
its undeniable wealth and credit. Nor during her father’s 
lifetime had money as power intruded upon his home ; strict 
as he was in all his business relations in his counting-room, 
not one word with regard to them ever escaped him in the 
home circle. And now 1 even the Frau President speculated. 
She had thrown her small property of a few thousands into 
the huge lottery, — that is, invested it in stock, — and it was 
strange to see her face, usually so calm and impassive, work 
nervously, and flush with colour to the temples, when the 
subject of conversation was the money-market. 

Kitty left the tower and crossed the bridge. She leaned 
for a moment over the railing and looked down into the water, 
as if she half expected to see in its depths her old friends 
the dwarf fruit-trees and strawberry-vines, — but she saw only 
her own head, with its crown of thick brown braids. This 
girl, oddly enough, was the heiress of the family ; she was 
reminded daily that as such she was distinguished and flat- 
tered, and she was repeatedly taught that she never should 
arrange these same brown braids herself, that a lady’s maid 
was indispensably necessary ; but she opposed an energetic will 


AT THE COUNCILLCR^S. 


81 


to the Frau President’s admonitions ; nothing should induce 
her to resign her head to the hands of an artiste, to sit 
solemn as some heathen idol for hours in her dressing-gown. 
Oh, yes, it was delightful indeed to be rich, but her wealth 
should not make a slave of her, should not fetter her warm, 
active, shapely hands. 

She left behind her the pretty grounds around the ruin, 
and walked along the unfrequented path through the meadows 
upon the banks of the stream. Chilled by the molted snow 
from the mountains, that swelled it to a torrent, the little 
river rolled along, clay-coloured in hue ; but the minnows 
showed here and there like hecks of molten silver, the soft, 
downy buds were thick upon the osiers, and beneath their 
protecting net-work the blue flowers of the hepatica were 
spreading everywhere, — it was easy to make a spring nose- 
gay* 

With a bunch of them in her hand, she sauntered on as far 
as the ancient wooden bridge. There was Susie’s old bleach- 
ing-ground, the meadow, planted with fruit-trees. The coun- 
cillor had spoken truly ; the low picket fence that enclosed the 
garden was in perfect repair, and everything about the house, 
from the old tiled roof to the latticed arbour for the grape- 
vines, was in thorough order. And it was really a charming 
old house, the despised “ barracks.” It was situated in a very 
retired spot on the banks of the river, and the leafy grove be- 
hind it, on the other side of the fence, gave it the character of a 
woodland cottage. Its exterior was not imposing, to be sure ; 
it had only one row of windows, directly above which arose thj 
roof with its gilded weather-cock and massive chimneys, one 
of which was actually smoking, — an incredible sight. It was 
long indeed since a Are had been kindled on that hearth or a 
lamp lighted within those walls. During the lifetime of the 
castle miller it had been used as a store-house for grain ; the 
shutters had always been closed, and the door of entrance locked, 
F 


82 


AT THE COUNCILLOR'S. 


except during harvest. At that time, little Kitty used to slip 
into what was called the fruit-room, an apartment adjoining 
the kitchen, with whitewashed walls and a large green stove, 
and fill her apron with rosy-cheeked apples and mellow pears. 
To-day, the shutters were wide open, and the young girl saw 
for the first time in her life the glitter of the panes of glass 
in the large windows. It was now Doctor Bruck’s home. 

Scarcely knowing why, she crossed the bridge and passed 
around three sides of the house. Her heart beat slightly, for 
she really had no right to be seen here; but the soft turf 
smothered the sound of her footsteps, which indeed could 
never have been heard above the din of the rushing river 
and of the sparrows twittering upon the roof Some of the 
windows were open ; she could see, within, hanging baskets 
filled with green creeping plants and vines, and the bright glitter 
of burnished copper on the kitchen walls ; the merry song of 
a bird, too, came through the window, mingling with the shrill 
chatter of the sparrows ; but there was no sqund of human life 
or occupation. She cautiously turned around the west corner 
to pass by the front of the house, and paused, startled. 

In the large doorway that divided the front of the house 
into halves, and from which a broad flight of steps led down 
to the little lawn, stood a lady, slender, refined, almost virginal 
in appearance. A table standing beside her was piled with 
books and pictures, which she was engaged in dusting. She 
looked up in surprise at the shy intruder, and involuntarily 
dropped the picture in her hand, — it was Flora’s photograph 
in an oval frame. 

Impossible that this could be the dean’s widow I After 
Flora’s sneering description, Kitty had fancied her a little, 
bent, active housekeeper, her hands rough with hard work, 
grown gi-ay amidst pots and pans, and liking nothing so much 
as baking pancakes ; she could not reconcile the picture of her 
imagination with this lady, elderly to be sure, but with deli* 


AT THE COUNCILLOR'S. 


83 


cate, noble features, and gentle, earnest eyes, her still abundant 
fair hair covered with a kerchief of white lace. 

Kitty grew more and more embarrassed, as, standing at 
the foot of the steps, she stammered out her excuses. “ I used 
to play here as a child ; I only came from Dresden a few days 

ago, and That is my sister,” she added, hastily, pointing 

to the picture, and then breaking into a clear, merry laugh, 
and shaking her head at the extraordinary manner in which, 
in her confusion, she had introduced herself. 

The lady laughed, too. She placed the picture upon the 
table, and, descending the steps, held out both hands to the 
young girl. “ Then you are the doctor’s youngest sister-in- 
law.” A faint shadow crossed her face. “I did not know 
that there were visitors at Villa Baumgarten,” she added, with 
the slightest tinge of irritation. 

A shadow floated across Kitty’s mind also at this moment. 
Was she, then, such a nonentity, such an entirely insigniflcant 
member of the Mangold family, that Doctor Bruck had not 
thought it worth while to mention having met her ? She bit 
her lip, and silently followed the lady, who invited her into the 
house and opened a door in the large hall. Every movement 
of her slender flgure was gentle and gracious. 

“ Here is my room, — my home for the rest of my life,” she 
said, in a tone in which was plainly audible her satisfaction at 
having reached this fiarbour of refuge after years of weary 
wandering. 

“ Before my husband received the appointment of dean in 
the city, he had charge of a small country parish. Our means 
were not adequate, and all my economy in housekeeping was 
needed to maintain the dignity of his position ; but it was the 
happiest time of my life. The dust and noise of the city 
were never good for my nerves ; my longing for the quiet of 
woods and fields became almost morbid. I never spoke of it 
but the doctor privately made the purchase of this place witl 


84 


AT THE COUNCILLOR'S. 


his savings, and showed it to me as my own a few hours after- 
wards.” Her voice was husky with emotion as she spoke the 
last words. With what pride did she call her nephew “ the 
doctor” 1 and as she spoke she smiled pleasantly. “ Is it not 
a charming place, — quite a castle ?” she asked. “ See these 
folding-doors, and the graceful decoration of the ceilings. 
Those leather hangings, with their tarnished gold, must once 
have been very splendid ; and out in the garden there are the 
remains of clipped yews and old statues of stone. The place 
was originally the dower-house of one of the women of the 
Baumgarten family, — I learned that from an old chronicle. 
We have scrubbed and aired and warmed the rooms, but have 
altei ed nothing ; we are not rich enough for that, and indeed 
there is no need of it.” 

Kitty was inspecting it all with silent satisfaction. The 
dark mahogany furniture suited the faded leather hangings 
admirably. Against the wall, not far from the large white 
glazed antique stove, stood a sofa covered with chintz, and 
above it hung the portrait of the late dean in his canonicals, — 
valuable, perhaps, as a likeness, but scarcely as a work of art. 
The plants at each of the high, broad windows decorated the 
room charmingly; there were various kinds of azaleas and 
palms, and magnificent india-rubber trees, just now tinged with 
gold by the sunshine that came broadly in through the net 
curtains. Gold-fish in a glass bowl, and a canary in a cage, 
—those favourites with lonely women, — were here also ; and 
spring flowers, gay hyacinths, with here and there a white 
narcissus bending its fair head dreamily, were upon the window- 
sills, while the work-table was fairly embowered in laurel. 

“ They are of my own growing : almost from the seed,” the 
old lady said, as she noticed the girl’s admiring gaze. “ Of 
course I put the finest in the doctor’s room.” She opened 
the door of the adjoining apartment and invited Kitty t® 
enter. 


AT THE COUNCILLORS. 


85 


“ Of course !’' There was a charm in her way of speaking 
these words, as if they sprang from a maternal devotion which 
must excuse any over-indulgence. “ Of course” she had given 
him the pleasantest room in the house, — the corner room, — 
below the eastern windows of which the stream rippled past. 
On the other side of the water lay one of the finest parts of 
the park, and in the distance, behind the lindens, the blue 
tiles of the roof of the villa could be seen. Between these 
windows stood the writing-table, so that when the doctor raised 
his eyes from his work he could see the flag-staff* of the villa 
pointing towards heaven,— towards heaven ! Kitty suddenly 
felt her cheeks flush with shame as she thought how the ten- 
derest care was watching over the man’s comfort here, while 
there her faithless sister was employed day and night in de- 
vising some way to thrust him from his heaven. She had 
resigned all claim upon him with those frivolous words, “ Make 
him happy yourself.” 

Did the warm-hearted, delicate-minded woman standing 
beside her dream, or perhaps instinctively feel, that the heaviest 
sorrow he could have to endure was hanging over her darling's 
future ? She had received Kitty not as a new-comer, a stranger 
to the family relations, but as Bruck’s youngest sister-in-law, 
who must of necessity be so well aware of everything con- 
nected with him that there was no need of any mention that 
she was his aunt. Surely she could not have known much of 
the inmates of Yilla Baumgarten ; and she confirmed Kitty’s 
suspicion on this head by pointing to the wall over the writing- 
table, and saying, “ All is not quite ready here ; there I shall 
hang the photographs of his Flora, and of his mother, my 
dear sister.” 

Nothing else was wanting in the cosy room. The doctor, 
who was to return by the evening train, had no suspicion that 
his aunt had left the city. She had wished to spare him all 
the annoyance of moving ; and the councillor had been so kind, 

8 


86 


AT THE COUNCILLORS. 


she said, as to come to her assistance, by putting her in im- 
mediate possession of the house. 

As she talked, the dean’s widow went on putting a finishing 
touch here and there, gliding about with a step so noiseless 
that it could not have disturbed the doctor if he had been 
seated at his writing-table, deep in his new work, for the 
completion of which he had desired this retirement in the 
country. 

She now opened a cupboard in the wall beside the book- 
shelves, and took thence a plate filled with delicate little cakes. 
These she offered to the young girl with a charming air of 
hospitality. “ They are fresh ; I made them to-day, busy as 
I was. The doctor always has a supply for his little patients, 
who often need a bribe. But I cannot offer you any wine, 
for the few bottles that we own I left in town, where they 
are required for the sick.” 

Kitty thought of the papers in her safe, “working day 
and night” to fill it with gold, of the well-furnished wine- 
cellar in the tower, and of her wayward, cigarette-smoking 
sister, buried amid the crimson cushions of the lounge. What 
a contrast it was to this simple content and self-denial ! And 
how all this reminded her of her Dresden home ! Her heart 
warmed to the dean’s widow, and she told her of her dear 
foster-mother, of her wise and gentle ways of influencing those 
around her, and of her never-failing industry, — an industry 
to which she had trained her foster-child. 

“ But what does the Frau President say to such a system 
of education?” the aunt asked, with a smile, as her eyes 
dwelt with pleasure upon the blooming young creature. 

“ I do not know,” Kitty replied, with a shrug and a saucy 
glance ; “ but I suppose my movements are too quick for her, 
my voice too loud, and I am too robust, — not sufficiently pale. 
Heaven knows, I d-m a trial indeed I Is that your sister’s 
portrait ?” she suddenly broke off to ask, pointing to an oil 


AT THE COUNCILLORS. 87 

sketch of a very pretty woman, leaning in its frame against 
die wall. 

The old lady assented. “I am sorry to have to leave it 
m so insecure a place,” she said, “for the frame is old; 
but I suffer from vertigo, and dare not mount a step-ladder. 
A few weeks ago I was obliged to dismiss my servant,” — 
faint flush tinged her withered cheek, — “and now I must 
wait until the charwoman comes to hang these last pictures, 
and the curtains to my bed.” 

At the first words of this explanation, Kitty had laid her 
parasol upon the writing-table and stuck her little bouquet 
of willow buds and hepatica into a pretty little milk-white 
vase that stood beside the inkstand. Then she pulled the 
table out into the room, and moved a chair up to the wall. 
“May I?” she asked, coaxingly, picking up the hammer and 
nails that were placed ready on the window-seat. 

With a grateful smile the aunt brought her the portrait, 
and in a few moments it was hung upon the wall. Kitty 
shrank back involuntarily when the old lady then handed her 
Flora’s photograph. Should she with her own hand place 
this picture where it would constantly meet the eyes of the 
betrayed lover? It was no longer his, it would in a few short 
days be reclaimed, with the ring which he still wore on his 
finger. How the thought pained her ! The old lady passed 
her hand caressingly over the picture. “ She is so lovely I” 
she said, tenderly. “ I know her only slightly; she does not 
come often to see me ; how could an old woman ask her to 
undertake so tiresome a task? but I am very fond of her, for 
she loves him, and will make him happy.” 

What an inconceivable absence of all misgiving 1 The girl’s 
cheeks burned with a sense of her own imprudence. After 
all she had heard in the tower, she never should have set foot 
within these doors. She felt like a hypocrite for not snatch- 
ing the picture from the old lady’s hand and unmasking the 


88 


AT THE COUNCILLOR'S. 


serpent that was ready to dart at her heart. But she could say 
nothing. She hammered at the nail so vigorously that the 
wall shook, then she hung the photograph upon it, and pushed 
the writing-table into its former place. The seductive face 
of her sister looked down from the wall with the smile of a 
triumphant evil genius. 

Kitty took up her parasol to leave the room as quickly as 
possible. As she crossed the threshold she saw through an 
open door the old lady’s bed, — the step-ladder stood beside it. 
“ I almost forgot that,” she said, as if in excuse, as she entered 
the small apartment, and, taking the gay chintz curtains from 
where they lay ready, mounted the ladder. She stood so high 
in the dark recess beside the window that she could touch the 
projecting foot of one of the angels in the cornice, and began 
rapidly to slip the curtain-rings upon their brass rods, while 
the old lady, standing by the table in the middle of the ad- 
joining sitting-room, mixed a glass of raspberry syrup for her 
kind assistant. 

Suddenly Kitty saw a man of erect, stately carriage pass 
the window. She recognized him instantly, and started, but 
before she could determine whether it was best to stay where 
she was or to slip hastily down and away, he had come 
through the hall and entered his aunt’s room. The old lady 
turned, and threw her arms around him with, “ Ah, Leo, 
here you are already !” The raspberry syrup was entirely for- 
gotten, as well as the kind assistant for whom it had been 
intended, and who was covered with confusion in her hiding- 
place behind the curtains, where she was now obliged to stay, 
if she would not break in upon the meeting of aunt and 
nephew. 

She saw the doctor’s handsome bearded face bend tenderly 
above the old lady’s head as he drew her towards him and, 
taking her hand from his shoulder, kissed it reverentially 
Then he glanced through the rooms. 


AT THE COUNCILLOR’S. 


“Well, Leo, what do you say to my coming out here 
without your knowledge?” his aunt said, noticing his 
glance. 

• “I cannot praise that proceeding. It was too much for you 
to undertake in so short a time, for you know how injurious 
all household confusion and worry are for you. Nevertheless, 
vou look well and happy.” 

“ I wish you did too, Leo,” his aunt interrupted him ; “you 
have lost the fine colour you used to have, and here” — she 
lightly passed her hand over his forehead — “ there is some- 
thing strange, something of pain and perplexity. Have you 
been annoyed during your absence ?” 

“ No, aunt.” The tone was frank and reassuring, but evi- 
dently intended to stop further question ; the councillor had 
said that Bruck never spoke of his profession or of incidents 
connected with it. “ How attractive this room is to me, in 
spite of its shabby walls 1” he said, as, with hands clasped 
behind him, he surveyed her writing-table. “ It breathes of 
the peace of mind of a self-forgetting feminine nature ; that 
is why I like so to come to our quiet home, aunt, with its 
old-fashioned furniture and your orderly arrangements. I 
shall be here a gTeat deal.” 

The old lady laughed. “Yes, yes, until a certain day in 
June,” she said, archly ; “ you are to be married at Whitsun- 
tide.” 

“ The second day of Whitsuntide.” The words sounded 
strangely cold and decided, as if nothing should postpone for 
a moment the appointed hour. Kitty felt something like a 
shudder of dread. She held her breath ; it would never do 
to be seen now. Every minute she hoped that the doctor 
would go into his room and give her the opportunity of 
slipping down from her perch and leaving without meeting 
him. Her whole nature revolted at this involuntary part of 
listener that she was playing. But, instead of going, he sud- 
8 * 


90 


AT THE COUNCILLOR'S. 


denly took up from the table a letter that had been slipped, 
apparently by chance, between two books. 

His aunt made an involuntary gesture as if to prevent his 
reading it ; her delicate face grew crimson. “ Ah, heavens !” 
she exclaimed, “ how forgetful my poor old head is growing I 
That letter came from town a few hours ago ; it is from Lenz, 
ihe merchant, and I did not mean to let you have it to-day, 
but I forgot, and left it on my table. I think it contains 
your fee ; and coming at such an unusual time, Leo, — I am 
afraid ” 

The doctor opened the envelope, and hastily read the note. 
“ Yes, he dismisses me,” he said, calmly, tossing the letter and 
the paper money it contained down on the table again. “ Does 
it worry you, aunt?” 

“ Me ? Not for a moment, if I could be sure that you do 
not take the ingratitude of these foolish people too much to 
heart. I have firm faith in you, and in your skill, and in — 
your lucky star,” the gentle voice replied, warmly and confi- 
dently. “ The obstacles that chance and calumny place in 
your path do not mislead me, — you will succeed.” She 
pointed towards the open door of the corner room. “ Look at 
your little study ; you can think and write there so comfort- 
ably, so secure from all interruption! Ah, I cannot help 
enjoying the thought of the time, short though it be, during 
which we can still be together and I can attend to your 
comfort ” 

“Yes, aunt ; but the retrenchments you have gradually been 
making lately in consequence of the unfortunate turn in my 
afiairs must cease. I will not have you standing for hours 
upon the cold stone floor of a kitchen. You must send for 
our old cook to-day, if you can. There is no reason why you 
should not.” He put his hand into his pocket, drew thence 
a heavy purse of gold, and poured out its contents upon the 
table. 


AT THE COUNCILLORS. 


9J 


The old lady clasped her hands in mute surprise at the 
golden stream rolling here and there upon her neat table 
cloth. 

“ It is a single fee, aunt,” he said, with audible satisfaction; 
“ our hard times are past.” And, as he spoke, he turned and 
went into the corner room. 

It was easy to. see that his aunt longed to know more; but 
she asked no questions as to the cure or the patient whence 
came so large a sum of money. 

Kitty seized this favourable moment to get down from 
the ladder. How her heart beat, how her cheeks burned, at 
having overheard this familiar talk ! The door of the room 
led directly into the hall : she could escape unseen ; even the 
dean’s widow might suppose she had left the bedroom long 
since, without hearing a word that had been said. She cast 
a stealthy glance through the door of the corner room, where 
aunt and nephew were standing by the writing-table. Just then 
she heard the doctor say, “Ah, here are the first spring fiowers I 
Did you know how fond I am of these little blue blossoms ?” 

He was interrupted by an exclamation of surprise : “ It 
was not I, Leo. Kitty, your young sister-in-law, put those 
flowers there. Indeed, I am absent-minded and forgetful!” 
The old lady hurried into the next room; but Kitty had 
already slipped out of the hall door into the open air. 

Without, she sauntered calmly and leisurely past the win- 
dows. Through the first she could faintly descry the gay 
flowers upon the still unhung bed-curtain ; then came two 
windows with pretty net curtains, belonging to the aunt’s 
sitting-room. One of them was open, and from it came the 
fragrance of hyacinth and narcissus. Suddenly a man’s hand, 
strong and shapely, placed among the flower-pots on the 
window-sill a milk-white glass filled with blue flowers : it was 
her spring bouquet, which the doctor had thus removed from 
his writing-table. 


AT THE COUNCILLORS. 


n 

She paused, startled by the thought that in her heedless- 
ness she had placed herself in a false position. Evidently he 
regarded the placing of the flowers on his writing-table as an 
officious act on the part of a thoughtless, forward young girl. 
With her eyes shining with ill-suppressed tears of indignation, 
she extended her hand to the window. The gesture attracted 
the doctor’s attention ; he looked up. 

“ Will you be so kind as to hand me out my flowers. Doctor 
Bruck ? they belong to me ; I laid them down for a moment 
and forgot them,” she said, with difficulty preserving her self- 
possession. , 

For one moment he seemed to be startled by the sound of 
the voice so unexpectedly addressing him. Perhaps he was 
annoyed that Kitty had observed him; but, if so, he in- 
stantly suppressed the sensation, and said, kindly, “I will 
bring you the flowers.” His deep, quiet voice disarmed her 
immediately : he had not meant to wound her. 

A moment afterwards he came down the steps. His figure, 
with its broad shoulders and erect carriage, and the fine 
bearded face, belonged of right, it seemed, to a soldier, and 
should have been clad in uniform, were it only the green coat 
of a forester. He handed the glass to the young girl, with a 
courteous inclination. 

She took out the flowers. “ They are the first little deter- 
mined things that were in a great hurry to get out into the 
sharp April air,” she said, with a smile. “ They need to be 
searched for, but, when found, are worth a whole hot-house 
full of plants.” He certainly could not suppose now that she 
had so far presumed upon their future relationship as to 
ornament his writing-table. 

His aunt appeared at the open window, and begged the 
young girl to repeat her visit frequently. 

“ Fraulein Kitty is going back to Dresden in a few weeks,” 
the doctor answered instantly in Kitty’s stead. 


AT THE COUNCILLOR'S. 


93 


She was startled. Was he afraid lest she should enlighten 
the unsuspicious old lady as to his strange relations with his 
betrothed ? The idea troubled her, but chiefly because of 
the sorrow which she saw he must lock up within his own 
breast. And she could not reassure him. 

“ I shall stay longer, Herr Doctor,” she rejoined, gra-vely. 
“ It may be that my stay in Moritz’s house will be prolonged 
for months. You, as Henriette’s physician, can best say how 
many may pass before I can leave my invalid sister without 
anxiety and return to my foster-parents.” 

“ You propose to devote yourself to Henriette ?” 

“ Of course,” she replied. It is a great pity that hitherto 
she has been left entirely to the care of strangers. The poor 
child passes nights of sufioring entirely alone, rather than 
summon attendants whose sleepy, sullen faces irritate her dis- 
eased, sensitive nerves ; and, besides, her pride rebels against 
any confession of dependence upon her inferiors. This must 
not be so any longer. I shall stay with her.” 

“ You do not know the task you would undertake : Henri- 
ette is very ill,” — ^he passed his hands slowly over his forehead, 
so that his eyes were hidden for a moment, — “ there will be 
many a long weary hour to live through.” 

“ I know it,” she said, softly. “ But I have courage ” 

“ That I do not doubt,” he interrupted her. “ I have per- 
fect faith in your patience as well as in your compassion ; but 

no one can tell how long it may be before the invalid 

will need no further care. And therefore I cannot advise 
your undertaking the case so positively ; you could not endure 
the physical strain.” 

“ I ?” Involuntarily she held out her arms and looked 
down at them with a proud smile. “ Do not your fears seem 
groundless even to yourself, Herr Doctor, when you look at 
me ?” she asked’ gaily. “ I am strong and well : in constitu- 
tion like my grandmother Sommer, who was a peasant’s — a 


94 


AT THE COUNCILLORS. 


woodcutter’s — child, running barefoot in the fields and wield* 
ing the axe better than her brothers, — Susie has often told 
me.” 

He looked from her towards the open window, where his 
aunt, half hidden behind her flowers, was lost in admiration 
of the young girl ; his face grew dark. 

“ The question is not one of the force and endurance of 
muscles,” he said, obviously to end all discussion. "Such 
duties as you propose to fulfil act most disastrously upon the 
nervous system. However,” he suddenly interrupted him- 
self, “ it is not my part to influence your resolutions. That 
is your guardian’s afi'air. Moritz must decide, and will prob- 
ably see that you return to your home in Dresden at the 
appointed time.” These last words were spoken with a hard 
emphasis not at all in accordance with the doctor’s usual 
gentle composure. 

His aunt involuntarily withdrew a step from the window ; 
Kitty stood still. "But why are you so decided, Herr 
Doctor ? Why do you desire that Moritz should control me 
so strictly?” she asked, with great gentleness. “ Am I de- 
sirous of doing anything wrong ? Ought Moritz to use his 
authority to prevent me from fulfilling my sisterly duty ? I 
think not. But there is a way out of the dilemma. Let 
Henriette go with me to Dresden. There my dear Frau Doc- 
tor will share with me the charge of her, and that will not 
harm my nerves.” She smiled slightly. 

" Well, I will try so to arrange it,” he said, decidedly. 

" Then I give you my word to be up and away as soon as 
possible,” she rejoined, just as decidedly, with a meaning look, 
before which his glance fell as though he had been detected 
in some injustice. 

His aunt suddenly leaned from the window and looked him 
wonderingly in the face, — he was so strangely silent. He 
stood plucking some withered vine-leaves from the trellis where 


AT THE COUNCILLOR'S. 


95 


they had lodged in falling from the vine, and did not open 
his lips. 

“ Do you so ardently desire to go ?” the old lady askei the 
girl, kindly, but with some embarrassment. 

Kitty drew her veil, which had fallen upon her neck, over 
her head again, and knotted it beneath her chin. Her face 
looked like a fresh peach-blossom amid the folds of lace. 
“Ought I to say ‘no’ for politeness’ sake, madame?” she 
asked, smiling, in reply. “ I think I have had the best of 
training, but nothing will eradicate certain prejudices and in- 
dividualities from the hidden corners of my nature. I feel 
just the same repulsion for my sisters’ grandmother to-day as 
when, years ago, my father used to command me to kiss her 
hand ; hence I constantly come into collision with all kinds 
of irritating causes which do not exist for others, and which 
tormented and worried me as a child. And how chilly it has 
grown in my father’s house I” — she shivered, — “ there is too 
much marble beneath my feet; and Moritz has become so 
frightfully distinguished,” — ^two roguish dimples appeared in 
her cheeks, — “ I am positively startled and mortified at the 
sight of my simple undecorated visiting-card. Yes, dear 
madame, I shall be very glad to return to Dresden, provided 
Henriette may accompany me; otherwise,” — she turned to the 
doctor, and the playfulness of her tone was changed to quiet 
resolution, — “ otherwise, I shall do my best to conform myself 
to my present surroundings, and to remain, even although 
Moritz should attempt to force me to return to Dresden.” 

She bade a kindly farewell to the old lady, courtesied slightly 
to the doctor, and left the garden to go to the castle mill 
although twilight was at hand. 


96 


AT THE COUNCILLORS. 


CHAPTER VIIL 

[t had grown quite dark ; seven had struck by the faxjtory 
clock, and Kitty was still sitting in the bow-window in the 
large room at the castle mill. At Susie’s entreaty, she had 
isspected the linen-closet, for the old housekeeper insisted that 
the miller’s wife was not to be trusted, and that “no one could 
keep their hands off beautiful homespun linen.” Then she 
had, as usual, prepared Susie’s evening broth, and put her to 
bed ; for, although much better, she was still very weak and 
helpless. But the girl had been sitting a long while in the 
recess of the window, her hands gravely folded on her lap, 
until the shadows of night wrapped her around. It was 
pleasanter here than at the councillor’s, where there was no 
cosy talk in the twilight hour as in Dresden. No sooner had 
the sun set than the servants invariably drew the curtains, 
the gas was lighted, and its dazzling rays banished the shadows 
from every corner. 

The muffled tick of the old clock against the wall sounded 
like a measured subterranean knocking, and through the thick 
green curtain before the glass of the closed door of the recess 
the night-lamp at Susie’s bedside glowed like the eye of some 
gloomy gnome. What a breathless quiet reigned in the dark- 
ness ! How intently, when a child, she had listened in such an 
hour for the rustle and tripping tread of the dusty brownies 
while Susie told her how the cruel and superstitious lord who 
built the mill had buried a new-born babe in its foundations 
and had mixed the mortar for them with precious wine ! All 
these recollections were but faintly present to her now : her 
eyes were fixed upon the southern window, whence a faint 
light was still visible in the sky, — upon the spot where the 


AT THE COUNCILLOR'S. 


97 


castle miller had breathed his last ; and she was thinking of 
the way in which Dr. Bruck had told her of the verdict 
passed upon him by the public, and of his self- vindication, to 
which she now wondered more than ever that he had conde- 
scended. Why, even should the whole world insist upon it, 
she never could believe in a reckless disregard of prudence, an 
ignorant, unscientific over-estimate of himself, on the part of 
a man who was the personification of integrity and honour. 
Aad the hot blood stirred in her veins, and indignation pos- 
sessed her, as she remembered the gross terms in which 
Flora this very afternoon had stigmatized Bruok’s medical 
capacity. What a riddle Flora, admired and adored as she 
was, had become — once an object to the child Kitty of won- 
dering awe and secret admiration ! 

Henriette, when alone with her young sister, was careful 
never to make the betrothed pair the subject of conversation ; 
but from casual remarks of hers, Kitty had gathered that Flora 
must at first have shown a passionate affection for her lover. 

Doctor Bruck, after serving as regimental surgeon during 
the Fvanco-Prussian War, and then remaining for some time 
in Berlin as assistant to a distinguished surgeon there, had 

returned to M , principally in compliance with his aunt’s 

entreaty. There the favourable reputation that had preceded 
him, and his fine person, had soon made him a popular phy- 
sician as well as a great social favourite. It was therefore no 
condescension even on the part of the haughty Flora Mangold 
to yield him the coveted treasure of her hand. She had her- 
self made decided advances to him in persisting in placing 
herself under the skilful young doctor’s care for a painful 
sprained ankle; before the ankle had recovered they were 
betrothed, and the lady was much envied. This was, of 
course, why she wished to avoid any sudden breach of the 
engagement, and laid perfidious plans for inducing a gradual 
termination to it, founded upon mutual decline of affection. 

G 9 


98 


AT THE COUNCILLORS. 


Kitty started up ; it was intolerable to her to tliink that il 
she remained she must be a witness of this distressing drama, 
— must see the unhappy man, in spite of his strong affection 
and efforts to the contrary, thrust forth from the paradise he 
had dreamed of No ; she sided with Moritz and Henriette. 
Flora could not and should not break her troth ; the whole 
family must combine to prevent such wretched treachery 
What folly so blinded her as thus to induce her to destro} 
her own happiness ! Had she not seen him in his home with 
his loving foster-mother ? Did she not know that the winds 
of heaven would never be allowed to visit her too roughly if 
she bestowed upon him the happiness he craved ? 

Kitty started and covered her face with her hands. It had 
grown so dark here, so black was the night, that it seemed 
a fitting time for sinful thoughts to creep into an unguarded 
soul. She ran across the room and threw wide the door upon 
the stairs; the large lamp was burning in the hall below, 
throwing slender rays upwards among the pillars of the gallery, 
even to her feet, while from the mill itself, the door of which 
opened at that moment, came the noise of loud voices. Light 
and sound instantly dissipated the alluring phantoms that were 
crowding into the young girl’s mind. There was the huge 
whitewashed hall of the castle mill, and from its wall looked 
down in ghostly dimness out of the worm-eaten black frame 
the figure, in full armour, of its knightly builder. In former 
days the picture had terrified her ; now it seemed to her an 
old friend, beckoning her back to reality from a treacherous 
dream in which she was playing a false part. 

She descended the stairs, anv* 'eft the mill. The night 
wind of spring refreshed her hot cheeks, and stars filled the 
clear sky with glittering arabesques. Kitty was ashamed of 
her idle dreaming ; but had it not assailed her like a sudden 
vertigo which may suddenly attack even the healthiest and 
strongest of human kind ? 


AT THE COUNCILLOR'S. 


99 


From a distance she saw through the trees the glimmer of 
the lights at the villa ; and as she entered the hall-door she 
was greeted by the sound of the piano. It was a magnificent 
instrument, but was being shamefully maltreated at present. 
This was one of the Frau President’s reception evenings, — old 
and young came to take tea, — the elders went to the card- 
tables, and the young people amused themselves with music 
and conversation as best pleased them. 

Kitty made a hasty toilette, and entered the drawing-room, 
— the large balconied apartment on the ground-floor. There 
were but few guests this evening ; only one card-table was in 
demand, and the tea-table, usually surrounded by young ladies, 
looked lonely and deserted. 

Henriette was seated at it, making the tea; again she had 
scarlet ribbons in her blonde hair, and a sleeveless jacket of the 
same brilliant colour over a light blue silk dress. Her small, 
pallid face looked ghostly in so theatric a costume, but her 
beautiful eyes shone with an almost unearthly fire. “ Bruck 
has come !” she whispered, breathlessly, into Kitty’s ear, point- 
ing through the adjoining music-room, where the grand piano 
was being so punished, towards Flora’s study. “ Kitty, he 

really seems grown, so tall and majestic Grood heavens 1 

do not look ‘ so sober, steadfast, and demure’ !” she hastily in- 
terrupted herself. She was strangely agitated. “ They are 
all so cross to-day ; Moritz has had a dispatch which has made 
him absent-minded, and grandmamma is dreadfully out of 
sorts because her rooms are so empty. But I am so happy, — 
so happy I Do you know, Kitty, that the day before yester- 
day, when I had that attack, I really imagined that Bruck 
would see me next as a corpse? That must not be. I loill 
not die without him !” 

It was the first time she had ever spoken to Kitty of dying ; 
and it was well that the fingers scrambling hither and thither 
over the keys in the music-room seemed just now endowed 


100 


AT THE COUNCILLORS. 


witli fresh energy, and that three elderly gentlemen, standing 
by the chimney-piece, raised their voices in the ardour of their 
discussion, for the invalid’s last exclamation was loud and 
passionately uttered. Kitty gave her a warning glance, and 
the Frau President looked keenly and disapprovingly over her 
eye-glass towards the tea-table. Henriette instantly controlled 
herself “ Nonsense ! how can any one object to my saying 
so?” she said, lightly shrugging her shoulders. “No one 
likes to die alone. One has a physician in order that his 
presence may inspire with hope even one’s last breath.” 

Kitty understood now perfectly that the sick girl would 
never return with her to Dresden. She declined the cup of 
tea which Henriette filled for her with a trembling hand, and 
drew a small piece of embroidery from her pocket. 

“ Oh, let that miserable work alone !” said Henriette, im- 
patiently. “ Do you suppose I can sit here and watch you 
calmly stick in your needle and draw out that tiresome 
thread ?” She arose and put her hand within her sister’s arm. 
“ Let us go into the music-room. Margaret Giese will shatter 
the instrument and our nerves at the same time if we do not 
put an end to this torment.” 

They went into the adjoining drawing-room, but the lady 
at the piano, lost in her own harmonies, remained undis- 
turbed. The folding-doors leading into Flora’s study were, 
as was usual when the reception was small, wide open, 
allowing a full view of the interior. Its subdued light made 
it seem almost gloomy in contrast with the other brilliantly 
lighted apartments, and the dark crimson of its hangings 
deepened to black in remote corners. 

Flora was standing by the writing-table, her hands ner- 
vously clasped before her, while the councillor leaned back 
comfortably in an arm-chair, and Doctor Bruck stood looking 
through a new pamphlet. He was unusually pale ; the light 
falling from the lamp above him brought out two dark wrinkles 


AT THE COUNCILLOR'S. 


101 


ra Ins forehead and a deep shadow beneath his eyes, but his 
expressive head, nevertheless, looked very young in comparison 
with that of his future bride. 

Henriette entered composedly ; the lovers were not alone ; 
but Kitty, whom she drew with her, paused upon the thresh- 
old, repelled by Flora’s air, which was impatient, almost angry. 
She was evidently in an ill humour. She surveyed with a 
sarcastic glance her sister’s dress, for Kitty had laid aside this 
evening, for the first time, her deep mourning, and wore light 
gray. 

“ Come in, Kitty,” she exclaimed, without changing her 
attitude. “ In stiff silk, I see, as usual, just like a paper 
angel, and enough to make the strongest of us nervous with 
the perpetual rustle. Tell me, for heaven’s sake, why you 
always wear these frightfully heavy silks ? Scarcely the thing, 
I should say, for your cooking cares in Dresden.” 

“ Oh, ’tis a weakness of mine. Flora,” Kitty answered, with 
a smile. “ Childish enough, no doubt ; but I like to hear an 
attendant rustle of silk, — it sounds majestic. In the midst of 
my ‘ cooking cares’ I do not wear it, of course.” 

“ Why, how proudly she admits the ‘ cooking cares’ ! You 
foolish child ! I should like to see you in a linen apron among 
your pots and pans ! Well, every one to his liking ; I beg to 
be excused.” Her large gray eyes slowly turned towards the 
doctor, who was just quietly closing his book. 

Kitty felt Henriette’s little hand clench as it lay within 
her arm. “ Nonsense, Flora !” she said, in apparent amuse- 
ment. “ Five months ago you often paid a visit yourself to 
Christel’s kitchen. Whether you were of any use there I 
cannot say; but the good intention, as well as your pretty 
muslin apron, became you admirably.” 

Flora bit her lip. “ You make a good story of it, Hen- 
riette ; you never were able to understand that jest or to take 
9 * 


102 


AT THE COUNCILLOR'S. 


it for what it was, — a mere whim.” She folded her arms, and, 
drooping her head as in thought, slowly walked towards the 
window. She looked very beautiful in her white cashmere 
dress, with its soft, sweeping train. 

The councillor sprang from his arm-chair. “ Come, Floss, 
will you not go into the drawing-room with me now ?” he 
asked. “ It is very empty, for a good reason, — the prince 
holds a diplomatic audience to-night,” he added, by way of 
silencing his own discontent ; “ but we must do something to 
put a little life into it, or we shall have grandmamma out of 
sorts for a day or two.” 

“ I excused myself to her for half an hour, Moritz,” she 
said, impatiently. “ I must finish the article I have on hand 
to-night. The manuscript would have been ready now if 
Bruck had not interrupted me.” 

The doctor approached her writing-table. “ Is there such 
haste ? And why ?” he asked, not without a touch of merri- 
ment in his face and voice. 

“ Why, my friend ? Because I wish to keep my word,” 
she replied, tartly. “ Ah, that amuses you ! It is, to be 
sure, only a woman’s work, and you cannot, of course, com- 
prehend how there can be any hurry about such a trifle.” 

“ These are assuredly not my views with regard to women’s 
work in general.” 

“ In general !” she repeated, with a hard laugh. “ Oh, yes, 
the general world-wide idea, — cooking — sewing — knitting !” 
She counted them off upon her fingers. 

‘ You did not let me finish. Flora,” he said, quietly. “ I 
bad reference to mental as well as to physical labour. I am 
much interested in the woman question, and desire nothing 
more, in common with all thoughtful men, than that woman 
should be an intelligent assistant and co-worker with man in 
the department of the intellect.” 

“Assistant? How very kind I We want no such kind 


AT THE COUNCILLOR’S. 


103 


ness, niy friend ; we want more : we would be the equal of 
man, — equal in our privileges as in all else.” 

He shrugged his shoulders and smiled. The mingled ex- 
pression of merry scorn and indulgent gentleness became his 
fine face wonderfully well. “ This is indeed the extreme of 
these claims. It has been abandoned long since by the most 
intelligent, and will be warmly opposed by all friends of reform 
in church and state so long as woman shows herself liable to 
such excesses as we have witnessed in the ‘ praying bands’ of 
some of the American cities, and in their unscrupulous ad- 
herence here in Europe to the dark host of monkish con- 
fessors. To do otherwise would be to place the murderous 
knife in a small and inconsiderate hand.” 

Flora grew very pale, but said not a word in reply. She 
took up a new steel pen with apparent indifference and fitted 
it into a holder. Then she drew a casket towards her, and, 
with a hand that trembled slightly, took from it a small 
object. 

Henriette withdrew her hand from her sister’s arm and 
made one step forward, while the councillor left the room 
hurriedly, as if to fulfil some suddenly-remembered duty. 
Kitty was troubled. She saw the trembling taper fingers 
take up a penknife and cut off the tip of the cigar which had 
just been selected from the box. 

“ Such a knife as this, not for us to use in this way,” Flora 
said, with forced gaiety, over her shoulder to the doctor, 
who had paced the room once or twice while speaking. 
“ Strangely enough, however, the feminine brain, although 
weighing four ounces less than that of the lord of creation, 
shares with it this peculiarity: it thinks more vividly and 
works more e^ily while smoking.” She lighted the cigar and 
put it between her lips, smiling nervously. 

The performer upon the piano in the next room had finished 
her fantasia, and now aiineared upon the threshold. “ What, 


AT THE COUNCILLORS. 


Flora ! smoking ? Why, 3'ou never could endure the snicdl 
of a cigar !” she cried, laughingly, clapping her hands. 

“ Fraulein Mangold is jesting,” Doctor Bruck said, with 
perfect composure, as he walked to the writing-table, “ and 
will be quite satisfied with trying it once only. Another 
attempt might cost her too dear.” 

“ Do you forbid it, Bruck ?” she asked, coldly, a baleful fire 
glowing in her eyes. She had taken the cigar from her mouth 
for a moment, and held it delicately between her fingers. 

It was what the doctor had evidently expected. Without 
haste, with imperturbable equanimity, he took the cigar from 
her hand, and threw it into the fire. “ Forbid it as your 
lover ?” he asked, with a shrug. “ My rights, as yet, do not 
extend so far. I might entreat you, but I dislike repetition 
and useless words ; and you know perfectly how I detest a 
cigar in a woman’s mouth. In this instance I forbid it simplj 
as your physician. Your lungs are not strong enough.” 

Flora stood for an instant confounded by this cool as- 
surance ; and his last words evidently impressed her, but she 
controlled herself. “ A terrible diagnosis indeed, Bruck,” she 
said, with a scornful smile. “ And the Councillor von Bar, 
who has attended me from my infancy, never said a word of 
it. Tales to frighten children 1 Besides, I have no reason for 
so loving my life that I should deny myself an enjoyment to 
preserve it. On the contrary, I shall continue to smoke ; in 
my intellectual vocation I need it, and this vocation is my 
delight, my moral support, — in it I live and breathe ” 

“ Until a certain inevitable crisis arrives to reveal to you 
3 our true vocation,” the doctor interrupted her. His voice 
sounded hard as steel. 

A burning blush crimsoned her cheek. She opened her 
lips for an angry reply, but her glance fell upon Fraulein von 
Griese, the piano-player, the sarcastic maid of honour, who was 
still standing in the door- way, her head and shoulders bent 


AT THE COUNCILLOR'S. 


105 


forward, as if eager to catch every word of this interesting 
dispute, that from it and from the embarrassed faces of the 
bystanders she might extract material for a charming dish of 
court scandal. This was certainly to be avoided. Flora turned 
away with a graceful pout. “ Nonsense, Bruck !” she ex- 
claimed. “ How prosaic ! You have just returned from a 
pleasure-trip, and have been amusing yourself ” 

She stopped. Bruck laid his hand on hers with a firm 
pressure. “ Will you have the kindness to leave my vocation 
out of the question. Flora ?” he asked, emphasizing his words 
strongly. 

“ I was speaking of pleasure,” she said, pertly, withdrawing 
her hand from his. 

The Frau President’s face, with its expression of cold dig- 
nity, was never a welcome sight to Kitty, and when unexpect- 
edly seen, inspired her usually with a kind of shy terror; but 
now it was a positive relief when the old lady suddenly entered 
the room. She came in with unusual haste, and evidently in 
ill humour. “ I shall have to order my card-tables to be placed 
here in future, if I would not have my friends neglected,” she 
said, in an irritated tone. “ How came you to leave the tea-table 
so early, Henriette ? I shall be obliged to place my maid there. 
And, Flora, I cannot understand your withdrawing to your 
study when we have guests. If your publisher is really so 
impatient that you must work in the evenings, pray close your 
door, if you would avoid the appearance of ostentation and 
a desire to be thought a blue-stocking 1” She must have been 
much vexed, to speak thus in the presence of the maid of 
honour. 

Flora placed her manuscript before her, and dipped her pen 
in the ink. “ Decide upon that as you please, grandmamma,” 
she said, coldly. “ I cannot prevent people from coming to 
me here, and I should have sacrifieid myself long ago, and 


106 


AT THE COUNCILLORS. 


been seated at one of your gi’een-covered tables, if I had not 
been interrupted.” 

Henriette stepped past her grandmother, and privately sig- 
nalled to Kitty to follow her. “ These exciting scenes kill 
me,” she whispered, as they entered the empty music-room 

‘i Be tranquil. Flora’s struggles are vain ; he will yet bring 
her to his feet,” Kitty rejoined, in a strange, agitated tone. 

“ But I cannot understand him. Were I such a man ” 

Her eyes flashed, and she held herself proudly erect. 

“ Do you know what it is to love, Kitty ? Judge not ! You, 
with your cool glance and blooming cheeks, have no concep 
tion of the mad intoxication which can take possession of a 
human soul.” She paused, and drew a long and labouring 
breath. “ You do not know how enchanting and seductive 
Flora can be if she chooses. You know her only in her 
present mood, — cowardly, egotistical, pitiless. Once see her 
display afiection, and you will understand how a man must 
prefer death to surrendering his right to her.” 


CHAPTEB IX. 

She went into the drawing-room to resume her neglected 
duties at the tea-table; but Kitty remained standing by the 
piano, turning over some music. Henriette’s last words had 
moved her deeply. Could a despised love be so absorbing 
that for its sake a man would gladly die? Could it have 
such power over a man like Doctor Bruck ? 

He was just leaving Flora’s room ; the Frau President at 
the same moment rustled through the music-room, — two 
elderly ladies had just arrived, and she was hastening to receive 
them. The study-door remained open ; the unfinished article 
was surely in process of completion, for nothing stirred there, 


AT THE COUNCILLOR’S. 


107 


even after Fraulein von Giese seated herself at the piano again 
and ran her fingers over the keys. 

Kitty glanced towards the doctor, who had entered the draw- 
ing-room. He went to the tea-table to talk with Henriette, 
but one of the newly-arrived ladies detained him in conversa- 
tion. His air was courteous and composed, but Kitty had 
seen his eyes flash and his cheek crimson at Flora’s malicious 
words, and even now the colour in his face was deeper than 
usual, — he was by no means so calm and cheerful as he seemed. 
His beautiful adversary in the study was scarcely more com- 
posed ; after about five minutes she pushed back her chair, 
with audible impatience, and came into the music-room. 

“Well, Flora, have you finished already?” the maid of 
honour asked, as she went on striking thirds in quick succes- 
sion on the keys. 

“ Nonsense ! do you suppose an effective conclusion runs 
off your pen’s point as quickly as that? I am not in the 
humour, and I will not write unless I am. The calling of 
authoress is too sacred.” 

Fraulein von Giese’s eyes had a malicious twinkle in them, 
— their expression was never quite honest. “ I am very 
curious to know what the critics will say of your great work 
upon ‘ Woman ;’ you have talked so much of it. Flora. Has 
the publisher accepted it?” 

Flora had noted the glance. “ Ah, how you dear creatures 
would rejoice if it were a failure ! But that pleasure must 
be denied you, as I am assured by — well, by my little finger.” 
She laughed a low, self-satisfied laugh, shook the light curls 
from her brow, and prepared to enter the drawing-room with 
the regal air she knew so well how to adopt. 

“ My dear, you stand there with those notes in your hand 
as if you, too, wished to besiege our ears,” she said to Kitty, 
in passing, with a meaning glance towards the diligent per- 
former at the piano. “Bo you sing?” Kitty shook her 


108 


AT THE COUNCILLOR'S. 


head. “ It would be an inheritance from the Sommers ; oui 
family have no voices for singing.” 

“ Yes, Flora, Kitty plays on the piano,” the councillor 
replied from the doorway, where he was standing with sev- 
eral gentlemen. “ I know that from the bills I have received 
from Dresden. A great deal of money, Kitty, — I meant t<' 
tell you that you employ very dear teachers.” 

The young girl laughed. “ The best, Moritz. We are 
practical people in Dresden. The best is the cheapest.” 

“ Well, I have no objection. Have you really any talent ?” 
he asked, dubiously. “ A gift for music is not a Mangold 
characteristic.” 

“I have a great love for it, at all events,” she replied, 
simply, “ and a delight in composing melodies.” 

Flora, who was just upon the threshold of the drawing- 
room, turned in surprise. “ Nonsense, Kitty !” she said, 
hastily. “ Compose melodies ! You look like it, with those 
red cheeks and your prosaic training. Quite natural that a 
polka or a waltz should sometimes flit through the brain of 
any one who is fond of dancing ” 

“ And I am passionately fond of dancing. Flora,” Kitty 
interrupted her, frankly. 

“ I thought so. Scarcely compatible, though, with profound 
originality in creation. You have probably taken lessons in 
composition ?” 

“ For the last three years.” 

Flora clasped her hands and came back into the music- 
room. “Your Lukas” — she always called the former gov- 
erness thus by her maiden name — “ must be insane, to throw 
money away in that fashion.” 

It was very quiet in the adjoining drawing-room. The 
three old gentlemen by the fire, and the lady who had been 
speaking with the doctor, had just seated themselves at a 
card-table ; Doctor Bruck was talking in a low tone to Hen- 


AT THE COUNCILLOR'S. 


109 


riette ; and Fraulein von Giese paused for a moment to listen ; 
every one in the drawing-room could hear this tolerably loud 
conversation. 

Henriette sprang up and came into the music-room. “ You 
can play, Kitty,” she said, surprised, “ and have never touched 
the keys since you came ?” 

“ The piano is so near to Flora’s study, I could not pre- 
sume to interrupt her work by my playing,” the young girl 
answered, naturally and simply. “I have longed — I do not 
deny that my fingers have fairly burned to try this instrument, 
for it is magnificent, and my cottage piano in Dresden is not 
worth much. It was not new when we bought it, five years 
ago. My Frau Doctor wished to ask for a new one long ago, 
but I opposed it. I did not wish you to estimate my musical 
powers by such a demand. But after my glimpse of a certain 
safe to-day, I am wonderfully bold: I want just such an 
instrument as this.” 

“ It costs a thousand thalers ! — a thousand thalers for a 
girl’s whim. It requires consideration, Kitty.” 

“ Who in this house plays upon your instrument ?” she 
now asked, in a hard tone, with flashing eyes. She was evi- 
dently deeply wounded. “ To whose quiet enjoyment does it 
minister? It is here only for your guests. Must money 
never be spent except to make a show ?” 

The councillor approached her and took her hand ; he had 
never before seen the girlish face -so informed with energy 
and self-assertion. “ Do not agitate yourself, my dear child,” 
he said, gently. “ Have I ever been a hard or grudging 
guardian to you? Go play us something to prove that 
music is really dear to your heart, — I ask nothing more, — 
and you shall have any instrument you desire.” 

“ I do not like to play, after what has passed,” she said, 
lankly, as she withdrew her hand from his. “ I do not wish 
‘'G buy my piano by playing for it ; and who can tell what 

10 


110 


AT THE COUNCILLORS. 


can convince you that my music is dear to my heart ? Bui 
I will get my notes, for I detest being urged to play.” 

“ Why get any notes ? Play one of your own composi- 
tions,” said Flora, only half suppressing a sneer. 

“ I do not know even those by heart,” Kitty answered, an 
she left the room. 

She returned in a few moments with a sheet of music. As 
she seated herself upon the piano-stool, which Fraulein von 
Giese readily vacated for her, Flora took up the notes she 
had placed on the music-desk, and asked, pointing to the title- 
page, “ Who is the composer ?” 

“ Why, did you not ask me to play something of my own ?” 

“ Certainly ; but you have made a mistake : this is printed 
music ” 

“ True : it is printed.” 

“ Heavens ! how did that happen ?” Flora asked, hastily, 
surprised out of her usual self-possession. 

“ How does it happen. Floss, that i/our productions are 
printed?” Kitty asked, in jest, as she placed her beautiful 
slender hands upon the keys. “ I will tell you how I was so 
honoured,” she added, soothingly. Flora had evidently taken 
her reply very much amiss, for she had drawn herself up with 
an offended air. “ My teachers had this fantasia printed pri- 
vately, to give me a pleasant surprise upon my birthday.” 

“ Ah, indeed ! that I can understand,” Flora said, putting 
the notes back upon the desk. 

Henriette, who had meanwhile been standing behind Kitty, 
pointed over her shoulder to the title-page. “ Do not let her 
impose upon you, Flora 1” she exclaimed, with a laugh. “ Look 
there ! — Schott & Sons, — that firm would hardly lend itself to 
a birthday jest. Kitty, tell the truth,” she begged, with 
beaming eyes. “ Your compositions are popular, — there is a 
sale for them?” 

The young girl assented with a blush. “ But it is true, 


AT THE COUNCILLOR'S 


111 


also, that I knew nothing of my first appearance in public. 
I found my first printed opus upon my table with my birthday 
presents,” she said, as she began to play. 

It was a very simple melody that now fell upon the listeners* 
ears ; but after the first few notes the players at the card-tables 
dropped their cards, so liquid and pure were the tones that 
filled the air, so touchingly were they rendered. The young 
composer sat there, her eyes earnestly riveted upon the notes, 
so calm and quiet that one could see the jet cross upon her 
breast rise and fall with each breath. Here was no brilliant 
execution, no crash of chords, — one hardly asked what style 
of performance it was, — there was no thought of the perform- 
ance, any more than of the shape of a singer’s mouth when 
an enchanting song is issuing from it ; and when the melody 
ceased with a few low notes, breathed as it were from the in- 
strument, there was a moment of breathless silence, as if 
all feared that any noise might scare the fleeting spirit of 
music. Then the drawing-room awoke to life. The gentle- 
men cried, “ Brava !” “ Charmante !” “ Superbe !” and the 
ladies lamented that Herr Mangold was not alive to hear it. 
They were astonished and touched, and — took up their cards 
again. 

‘‘You must give me that charming fantasia, Fraulein Man- 
gold : I will play it to the princess,” said the maid of honour, 
with an air of patronage. 

“ And you shall have the finest ‘ concert grand’ that can 
be found, Kitty 1” the councillor added, with enthusiasm. 

But Henriette caressingly laid her pale cheek against her 
sister’s, and whispered, with tears in her eyes, “You gifted 
darling I” 

At the first notes. Flora had retreated as if frightened away 
from the piano. She paced slowly to and fro in the red room, 
at each entrancing turn of the melody casting a half-scared 
glance at the performer, and, when the last tones died away, 


112 


AT THE COUNCILLOR'S. 


the restless white figure was no longer to be seen : it had prob- 
ably withdrawn to the recess of a window. 

“ Ah, Flora seems to take it amiss that she is no longer the 
oole celebrity in the Mangold family,” Fraulein von Giese 
whispered, maliciously, half to herself and half to the coun- 
cillor. 

The councillor smiled, — he always smiled when any one from 
the court addressed him, — but he forbore to reply. 

* I am greatly provoked with your Frau Doctor for never 
telling us of your musical talent,” he said to Kitty, who was 
just leaving the piano. 

She laughed. “ There is very little said about it at home,” 
she replied, quietly. “ The Frau Doctor is seldom profuse in 
words of praise ; she knows how much I have to learn.” 

“ Nonsense ! That is Spartan training ” 

“ Or the most refined cunning in producing a grand final 
effect,” interposed Flora, who now made her appearance. She 
looked fiushed with fever. “ You cannot mislead me, Kitty, 
with this modest self-depreciation, making so light of your 
talent that during the five days you have been here you have 
never betrayed your knowledge even of the notes of music. 
It is treating me — treating us all — deceitfully, unfairly.” 
Her fine sonorous voice was thick with rising anger. 

“ That may well be your mode of judging. Flora,” Henri- 
ette indignantly exclaimed. “ You who are never weary of 
v'aunting your literary efforts, and already base your preten- 
sions in society upon a reputation yet to be acquired ” 

“ Henriette, your tea-table requires your attention,” the 
Frau President called, in a sharp stern tone, — the talk in the 
music-room was growing too loud, — and Henriette sullenly 
returned to her charge. 

“You are mistaken, Flora, if you think I undervalue my 
talent,” Kitty said, gently, while her haughty sister bit her 
lip and followed Henriette’s retreating figure with angry eyes. 


AT THE COUNCILLOR'S. 


113 


To do so would be untrue to myself, and most ungrat<3ful, 
for it gives me hours of delicious enjoyment. Accident alone 
has prevented my speaking of my music since my arrival, for 
indeed it is the cause of my coming here a month earlier than 
was proposed. My teacher of composition was obliged to 
leave Dresden for a month, and because my waiting would 
have cost me two months of instruction, I hastily made up 
my mind to leave the city when he did so.” 

As Kitty finished speaking, Fraulein von Giese went into 
the drawing-room, evidently with great reluctance, — these ex- 
planations were so very entertaining ; but her father, an aged 
and pensioned colonel, had arrived. The councillor followed her. 

Flora again approached the piano, and took the sheet of 
music from the desk. Kitty saw her breast heave and her 
hand tremble with nervous agitation, and bitterly repented her 
thoughtless introduction of her little work. 

“ I suppose you have had all sorts of flattering things said 
to you about this?” Flora said, striking the title-page with the 
back of her hand, as she eagerly watched the lips opening in 
reply. 

“ By whom ?” Kitty rejoined. “ My teachers are quite as 
chary of praise as my Frau Doctor, and no one else knows of 
my authorship ; you see, there is no composer’s name there.” 

“ But the thing finds a ready sale?” 

Kitty was silent. 

“ Tell the truth. Has it passed through more than one 
edition ?” 

Yes.” 

Flora threw the music upon the piano. “ Fame comes m 
sleep to such a bread-and-butter miss as this, with her round 
red cheeks and phlegmatic nature, while others struggle labori- 
ously up each round of the ladder ; they almost die in the 
agonizing strife before they are even heard of.” She folded 
her arms and paced to and fro. 

H 10* 


114 


AT THE COUNCILLOR'S. 


‘‘ But what does it really matter?” she suddenly said, pausing 
as if relieved. “ The most brilliant rocket vanishes and leaves 
not a trace in the air, while the fiery heart of Vesuvius throbs 
and glows, — the world knows of its burning core, and exults 
or trembles when the fiames leap forth. Be it so. There 
are now two of the Mangold family to step forth into the 
arena. We shall see, Kitty, which of us will have the more 
brilliant career. ' 

Not I, you may rely upon it,” Kitty replied, gaily, stroking 
back a rebellious curl from her brow. “ I shall take good care 
not to enter the arena. Do not imagine that I do not care 
for results. It is an indescribable pleasure to know that one 
can sway and touch the souls of men, and I would not resign 
such knowledge for the wealth of the world. But to live for 
that and that alone ? No ; I see too much of the happiness 
of home, the delights of mutual sympathy in aim and labour. 
Of what use. were fame to me if it left me lonely ?” 

“ Aha ! there we have the root of the matter, the quint- 
essence of your whole homely training. You will attain the 
same end for which your Fraulein Lukas strove, and which 
she has attained, — ^you will marry.” And a hard laugh ac- 
companied the sneer. 

The exquisite colour in the young girl’s cheeks suddenly 
flushed her forehead to the roots of her hair, and even her 
snowy throat was crimsoned for an instant. “You sneer 
and laugh as if it had never occurred to you to do the same,” 
she said indignantly, involuntarily lowering her voice ; “ and 
yet ” 

Flora hastily extended her hand, as if to bar further utter- 
ance from the lovely lips. “Not another word, pray !” she 
exclaimed, authoritatively. Again she folded her arms and 
slowly inclined her head in assent. “ Yes, my very wise young 
sister, I certainly was so weak and blind for a moment as to 
allow myself to be caught in a net ; but, thank God 1 my head 


AT THE COUNCILLOR'S. 


115 


IS free again, and is clear and strong enough to win back my 
liberty.” 

“ And have you no conscience then, Flora?” 

“ A very sensitive conscience, my dear ; it tells me that it 
would be most culpable frivolity to throw myself away. You 
remember your Bible well enough to know that we are each 
and all answerable for the employment of our talent. Look 
at me, and ask yourself if it is my r61e to play the Frau 
Doctor and devote my time to housekeeping. And for 
whom?” She nodded her head towards the drawing-room, 
where the conversation was just then rather lively : old Colonel 
von Giese’s arrival had inspired the guests with some anima- 
tion. Doctor Bruck, however, was sitting alone by the tea- 
table, looking over a newspaper, — he was apparently absorbed 
by it, and had hardly looked up upon Henriette’s return to 
his side. 

“ Do you see any of the gentlemen talking with him ?” 
Flora asked, in a suppressed tone. “ He is ostracized, and 
with justice. He has deceived me and the world. His 
brilliant reputation was the merest tinsel.” 

She broke off, and retired to her room, obviously to avoid 
the talkative old colonel, who now entered the music-room 
. with his daughter and the councillor to beg for an introduction 
to Kitty. At his request, the young girl seated herself again 
at the instrument and played. Strange ! As she lifted her 
eyes from the notes, she found her brother-in-law watching 
her with an intense and indescribable expression, not at all 
like the brotherly air wich which he gave her, as a child, a 
box of bonbons, or with which he had but yesterday brought 
her a bouquet from town. She willingly resigned her hand 
to him when he took it in conversation, and often permitted 
him to stroke her hair caressingly from her brow, —he did it 
much as her father had been used to do it ; and now, when 
she had finished playing, and amid the enthusiastic applause 


116 


AT THE COUNCILLOR'S. 


that followed, he came hastily to her side and laid his hand 
upon her shoulder. 

“ Kitty, what a change is this I” he whispered, bending 
over her. “It is Clotilde, your sister, but infinitely more 
beautiful, more richly gifted 1” 

She put up het hand to remove his from her shoulder ; but 
Moritz possessed himself of it, and held it as if in a life-long 
grasp. For the others it was only a pretty, innocent picture : 
the guardian was proudly caressing his ward, — ^the child en- 
trusted to his care by his father-in-law. Henriette’s pale face 
alone flushed crimson ; she smiled oddly. Doctor Bruck, 
standing beside her, looked at his watch, then quietly gave 
Henriette his hand, and took advantage of the general com- 
motion to withdraw unobserved. 


CHAPTER X. 

A WEEK had passed since the last reception-evening : 
“ a terribly fatiguing week 1” the Frau President sighed, in 
a tone of exhaustion, which did not, however, prevent her 
from immediately afterwards finding a great deal of fault 
with her modiste for not arranging with sufficient taste the 
toilette in which she was to appear on the eighth of these 
fatiguing evenings. The train was not long enough ; the lace 
not broad enough ; and the silk not so heavy as was desira- 


AT THE COUNCILLOR'S. 


117 


ble. There had been several large festivities in aristocratic 
circles, and, in addition. Flora had been requested to compose 
and recite verses at some tableaux vivants arranged at a small 
fete at court. “ There was hardly time to breathe.” 

Henriette, in consequence of her invalid condition, could 
take no part in these exciting entertainments, and Kitty re- 
mained at home with her, although she was always included . 
in the invitations to the family. They drank tea alone 
together in the music-room, and Kitty was unwearied in her 
efforts to dissipate Henriette’s melancholy, by lively talk, and 
music. Keen as was the invalid’s power of discrimination, 
impressed as she was by the superficiality and unreality of a 
life given up to society, she was, and always must be, a child 
of the world of fashion ; she had grown up in the drawing- 
room of her aristocratic grandmother, and often, when the 
sound of rolling carriages bound for ball or opera was heard 
in the distance, she would smile bitterly, and liken herself 
to a broken-down war-horse, weak and lame, who neverthe- 
less at the blast of the trumpet pricks his ears and longs for 
the strife. 

Lovely as a fairy. Flora would glide through the music- 
room before her departure. There was almost always a 
frown upon her brow and a sneer upon her lip at sight 
of her grandmother’s youthful toilette; she would lament 
the loss of precious time as, throwing a lace veil over her 
flower-wreathed curls and gathering up her train, she passed 
on to the carriage which was to bear the “victim to the 
sacrifice.” 

The councillor had been absent in Berlin, attending to 
business affairs, for six days. He wrote every day to the Frau 
President, and seemed “ intoxicated with money-making,” she 
remarked, with a significant smile. Four days after his de- 
parture, however, there arrived from him for his sisters-in- 
law three magnifiomt bouquets, at which the Frau President 


118 


AT THE COUNCILLOR'S. 


did not smile. The gallant brother-in-law had ordered 
camellias and violets for Flora and Henriette, whilst Kitty’s 
bouquet was composed almost entirely of myrtle and orange- 
blossoms. This tender message from a distance might have 
escaped the Frau President’s observation ; she took the 
flowers from the box in which they were packed, and was 
about to send up to Henriette’s room those destined for the 
two girls, when Flora, with a laugh, called her attention to 
the expressive arrangement of Kitty’s flowers. The old 
lady’s face lengthened as she looked. “ But, grandmamma, 
did you really suppose that Moritz would purchase rank at 
such an immense price and then allow his race to die out ?” 
Flora exclaimed, in her arrogant, frivolous manner. “ You 
ought to have known that such a man as he — still young and 
rich and handsome — would not remain a widower all his life. 
And he will not woo Kitty in vain, — I am well assured of 
that.” 

After this a shadow haunted Villa Baumgarten. Kitty 
never suspected its presence ; she sprinkled her flowers, all 
attached to wires as they were, with fresh water, to keep 
them as long as possible from fading, and never noticed their 
sentimental signification. Nevertheless, the gray, menacing 
phantom glided hither and thither through the Frau Presi- 
dent’s rooms ; its presence dimmed the splendour of the costly 
satin furniture, thfe beauty of the bronzes, and the priceless 
porcelain; it occupied the Frau President’s own favourite 
seat in the conservatory, and embittered her enjoyment of 
existence. The old lady was as anxious as to her future as 
if but half of her life lay behind her. The councillor should 
not marry again : so much at least he owed to her. She had 
made him what he was, by her aristocratic connections, her 
social influence ; her incomparable taste had transformed his 
home into a palace, that impressed even the spoiled habitues of 
the court. Had she not sacrificed herself most decidedly in 


AT THE COUNCILLORS. 


119 


first consenting to take charge of his comparatively simple 
bourgeois household ? And now, when everything was at last 
arranged precisely as she liked it, — when her efforts had been 
crowned with success, — a youthful Frau von Rbmer was to 
arise to take the lead in these splendid apartments, and those 
who asked to see the Frau President Urach would be shown 
up-stairs to some retired rooms appropriated to her use. Why, 
she would not have liked to see even Flora, her own daugh- 
ter’s child, in this position, much less the grandchild of the 
castle miller I The Frau President immediately manifested a 
deep interest in Kitty’s Dresden home ; she expressed great 
regret that so wonderful a musical talent should lie fallow 
for four long weeks, and even spoke of accompanying Kitty 
to Dresden in her own august person. 

The young girl received this access of courtesy and interest 
in silence. She still hoped that Henriette might be induced 
by Doctor Bruck to visit Dresden. Hitherto he had made 
no attempt to do so, apparently for fear lest the invalid’s irri- 
tability might be aroused in opposition; for just now she 
was irritable and excitable to the utmost. His visits were 
paid every morning at the same hour. The boudoirs of the 
two younger sisters were adjoining, and the door between 
them was almost always open. Kitty could hear his soothing 
tones, his gentle voice, and now and then a laugh so merry 
that the invalid could not but join in it. His ringing, 
musical laugh had a peculiar charm for Kitty : it seemed to 
come directly from a heart the youthful freshness of which 
was yet undimmed ; it was a proof to her that he felt hia 
future secure, that he was not in reality affected by the 
thousand trials which at present assailed him* 

She herself seldom spoke with him. Sitting at her work- 
table in her room, she could see him walk to and fro at times ; 
but, inseparable though the sisters usually were, Henriette 
always withdrew to her own room shortly before the time for 


120 


AT THE COUNCILLORS. 


his visit, and Kitty took care never to thwart her evident 
wish by taking part in the conversation either by word or by 
look. 

She frequently saw the dean’s widow, however, in the 
castle mill. The old lady paid Susie a daily visit, now that 
she lived so near, carrying her strengthening soups and jellies, 
and spending hours in cheering the poor old housekeeper, who 
was much depressed at being still unable to scrub or spin or 
even knit. 

Those were happy twilight-hours in the old room at the 
mill. The widow would relate stories of her youth, when 
she had been the pastor’s wife in her happy village home. 
She told of the sad, tearful time when she took her dear Leo, 
the doctor, then a boy only eight years old, from his home, 
where his parents had died within a few weeks of each other ; 
and whatever else she talked of or dwelt upon, she was sure 
to return to the theme of which she never tired, — her delight 
in this nephew, who was, as she said, the very sunshine of 
her life. 

Kitty used to accompany the old lady on her way home 
along the river-bank as far as the bridge across the stream. 
The little, wriniled hand lay confidingly upon the girl’s arm, 
and the two walked along as if they belonged to each other, 
and must together cross the bridge and enter the “ Doctof^ 
house” in its peaceful retirement among the trees in . tbq 
twilight. The evenings were still cold, and from the dark'^ 
forest the floating mists would moisten both hair and 
dress. The friendly roof and smoking chimney were very 
attractive. The lamp was usually shining brightly through 
the windows of the corner room, clearly illuminating the 
bridge. The old lady could not have missed her way even on 
a dark night. She would enter ; the window-shutters would 
be closed; and there, in the cosy corner by the stove, — 
Kitty could see it all in her mind’s eye, — where the faded 


AT THE COUNCILLOR'S. 


121 


green rug lav and the high-backed arm-chair stood, would be 
arranged the table for the pleasant evening meal, and his aunt 
would sit knitting until the doctor had finished his writing. 

She had described it all often to Kitty as they walked 
along together, and she liked to pause for a moment upon 
the bridge and contemplate her pleasant home, pointing to 
her darling’s head, with its dark curls, bending over his 
writing-table. He would suddenly spring up and open the 
window when the new watch-dog barked and rattled his 
chain at the sound of approaching footsteps. “ Is that you, 
aunt ?” the doctor would call from the window, and at his 
call Kitty would withdraw from the circle of light thrown by 
the lamp. With a hasty “ good-night,” she would run along 
the lonely avenue : she could not help feeling thrust out in 
the cold. And would not he at some future day, if he per- 
sisted in forcing Flora to be his, experience the same sensa- 
tion when he went from the house here by the stream to his 
home in town and met but a cold greeting from his wife, or 
found her just arrayed for some evening entertainment ? 

On the seventh day after the councillor’s departure, news 
arrived from Berlin that the factory was sold. The Frau 
President was so much pleased by the intelligence that she 
mounted the stairs in her dressing-gown and came into 
Henriette’s room with the open letter in her hand. Flora 
happened to be already there. 

The old lady seated herself in an arm-chair and imparted 
her news. “Thank Heaven, Moritz has done with it!” she 
siid, in the best of humours. “He has made an excellent 
bargain ; he himself is amazed at the price paid him.” She 
folded her delicate hands upon the table before her and looked 
perfectly satisfied. “ He can now break entirely with every 
connection with trade. There will be no more. I trust, of 
those dreadful ‘ business friends.’ Only think how we have 
been forced to endure men at dinner whose proper place 

F 11 


122 


AT THE COUNCILLORS. 


was jn the servants’ hall ! Heavens I what moments of painful 
embarrassment I have had I Yes, yes ; there has been much 
to be borne in silence.” 

Meanwhile, Kitty was standing at the window, whence she 
had a full view of the huge factory, with its still unfinished 
additions. The gravelled square in front of the building was 
swarming at present with people, — men, women, and children 
in a state of evident excitement, — ^gesticulating violently. 
The looms were deserted : there was not a workman occupied 
inside the factory. 

The young girl pointed this out to her companions. 

“ I know it,” the Frau President said, smiling, as she arose 
and came to the window. “ The coachman told me awhile 
ago that they were in a very agitated state 'over there, — quite 
beside themselves, — because the factory has been sold to a 
joint-stock company, principally, they say, under the manage- 
ment of Jews. Yes, yes, they are now reaping what they 
have sown. Moritz would never have made such a sudden 
tabula rasa, — he clung to the factory in a manner to me per- 
fectly incomprehensible, — but these last outrages have dis- 
gusted him : he does not want to have anything more to do 
with it.” 

“ It looks very much as if our excellent Moritz were afraid,” 
Flora remarked, with a contemptuous curl of her lip. “ I, 
for my part, would not have parted with the factory at 
present for millions. Those scoundrels should first have been 
taught that they are beneath notice, that we laugh at their 
threats. I fairly burn with indignation at the thought that 
they may suppose their menacing letters to me have fright, 
ened us !” 

“ Make yourself easy, Flora. No one will suspect you. 
You have only to be seen to be recognized as an impersona- 
tion of daring and courage,” Henriette said, with a sneer. 

Her beautiful sister silently moved towards the door, ig. 


AT THE COUNCILLOR'S. 


123 


noring the invalid’s remarks with her usual cold smile, and 
her grandmother arose to go to dress for dinner. 

“ Bruck ordered you to take a short walk to-day, Hen- 
riette, did he not?” the old lady asked, as she was leaving 
the room. 

“ He wishes me to spend half an hour in the pine forest 
bordering the town, for the sake of the resinous air.” 

“ I will go with you,” said Flora. “ I also need air, air 
tc prevent me from suffocating beneath the burden of annoy- 
ances which fate imposes upon me.” 

She offered the Frau President her arm, and they left the 
room together. 

Henriette stamped her foot angrily ; she could have cried 
for vexation, but she could not prevent her beautiful sister 
from presenting herself in the afternoon in a white felt hat, 
fan in hand, ready to accompany her upon her woodland walk. 

It was a glorious April day : the blue skies were cloudless, 
the glistening sunshine was bright on forest and fell, and the 
balmy air was fragrant with the odour of the first violets. 
The strip of forest which bordered, as it were, the dark 
mantle of pines was still light, light as if the dome of dark 
green had been removed from its shady aisles. The wealth 
of leaves that would shortly overpower each knotty bough 
and transform it to youth and beauty still lay compressed, 
a soft down, in millions of brown buds; the underbrush 
alone showed a pale, misty green, and from the damp moss 
the snow-drops hung upon long, slender stems. Kitty strayed 
aside, plucking these flowers, while Flora and Henriette walked 
on in the narrow path leading to the pines. 

It was not quiet here to-day : it was the day upon which 
the poor of the town were allowed to gather fagots. There 
was the noise of the cracking of dry wood and of loud 
human voices, and in among the thickest bushes Kitty sud- 
denly came upon a swarthy woman who was just tearing 


124 


AT THE COUNCILLORS. 


down a branch as thick as her arm that had been sawed from 
the parent stem. Irritated, perhaps, by being detected carry- 
ing off green instead of dead wood, perhaps by the sudden 
appearance of the commanding figure, the woman cast from 
beneath the purple kerchief she had tied over her head a 
savage glance at the intruder, and by the manner in which, 
standing erect, she trailed the bough to and fro upon the 
ground, seemed to challenge expostulation. 

Kitty was not in the least afraid : she stooped to pluck a 
tuft of anemones from beneath a bush, when suddenly she 
heard a cry from the path, — a faint scream, followed by a 
tumult of voices in an under-tone. 

The woman listened, tossed aside the bough, and dashed 
through the underbrush in the direction of the noise. Again 
the scream was heard : it was Henriette’s thin, feeble voice. 
Kitty followed close upon the woman’s heels ; the thorns tore 
her dress, and the bushes which her forerunner parted with a 
strong arm fiew back into her face, but she quickly emerged 
upon the path. 

At first she saw only a knot of women and ragged lads 
gathered about the trunk of a pine-tree ; but through the 
openings made here and there by the gesticulations of the 
throng Flora’s white hat and blue feather could be seen 
behind the mass of bristly heads and dirty kerchiefs. 

“ Let the dwarf go, Fritz !” exclaimed a huge woman. 

“ But she screams like a fool !” said a boy’s voice. 

‘‘ What of that ? not a soul can hear her little pipe.” The 
woman had a broad snub-nose and small, wicked eyes, and 
towered like a giantess above all the rest. 

Flora now spoke, — Kitty scarcely recognized her voice. 

She was answered by a burst of contemptuous laughter. 

“ Get out of the way?” the tall woman repeated. “This 
wood belongs to the town, Fraulein ; the poorest has just as 
good a right here as the richest. I should like to see any 


AT THE COUNCILLORS, 


125 


one drive me away I” Slie planted herself in the path more 
broadly than before. “ Come, look, all of ye I Such as we 
don’t often have a chance to see that face, except in a grand 
coach, with the horses tearing around the corners and trying 
to drive over poor people. You are a beauty, Fraulein : your 
worst enemy can’t deny that. All real, — nothing laid on, — 
a skin like silk and velvet, — good enough to eat.” She thrust 
her face close under the white hat. 

The woman who had run before Kitty pushed herself into 
the circle. ‘‘ Here comes another 1” she cried, pointing back 
towards the young girl. 

Those nearest her involuntarily turned to look, leaving an 
opening in their midst. There stood Flora, her lips and 
cheeks white as snow, evidently hardly able to stand, in vain 
attempting to retain her haughty carriage. 

“We don’t care for her !” a boy cried out, and the circle 
closed again more densely than before. 

“Kitty!” Henriette’s voice was heard in helpless terror 
from behind the living wall; but the cry was instantly 
smothered, evidently by a hand laid upon her mouth. In 
an instant three or four of the boys were thrust staggering 
aside, and even the gigantic woman yielded to Kitty’s strong 
arm as she made her way to her sisters and placed herself in 
front of them. “ What do you want?” she asked, in a loud, 
firm voice. 

For one moment the assailants were dismayed ; but only for 
one moment. This was but a girl, and of what avail could 
she be to help ? They closed around her with loud bursts of 
laughter. 

“.Body and bones o’ me I she asks her questions like a 
judge on the bench I” cried the giantess, putting her arms 
akimbo on her broad hips. 

“ Yes, and looks as proud as if she were come direct from 
the three kings of Cologne,” added the woman with the purple 
11 * 


126 


AT THE COUNCILLOR'S. 


kerchief on her head. “ Hark ye ! your grandmother belonged 
to my village ; never when I knew her did she have shoe or 
stocking to her foot ; and I remember very well, too, when your 
grandfather fed and drove old miller Klaus’s horses ” 

“ Do you suppose I do not know it, or that I am ashamea 
of it?” Kitty interrupted her, calmly and coldly, although her 
stern face had grown very pale. 

“What need? — you have his money, — heaps of money 1” 
cried a third, pressing close to the young girl and snatching 
at the skirt of her dress, which she rubbed in her grimy 
fingers. “ A fine gown this ! — a holiday gown ! — and worn, 
too, o’ week-days, and in the woods, where the thorns might 
tear it to shreds ! No matter for that, — there’s money enough : 
they found basketfuls of it when the old man died. But no 
one asks where it came from. It’s all the same to you, Frau- 
lein, if the castle miller did buy away the grain from poor 
people who needed it, and lock it up in his granaries, and 
then declare he would not sell a shovelful of it until the 
price had risen to what he wanted, — no, not although the 
people squeaked like starving mice ” 

“ Lies !” exclaimed Kitty, exasperated. 

“ Lies, indeed ? And is it a lie, too, that we are given up 
to usurers now, who will take our last potato from us ? ’Tis 
shameful! My daughter shall drown herself sooner than 
work for those skinflints 1” 

“ And my brother will shoot them dead if they show their 
faces here 1” bragged a half-grown boy. 

“ Yes, like the dwarf’s doves,” said another, with a gri- 
mace, pointing to Henriette, who was clinging to Kitty, half 
wild with terror. 

Suddenly the bark of a dog was heard near at hand. In 
an instant Flora stood erect, and all the haughty arrogance 
of her nature mirrored itself in her face. “ What have I 
to do with the sale of the factory?” she asked, scornfully 


AT THE COUNCILLOR’S. 


127 


“ Settle that with the councillor. He will know how to 
answer you. And now begone, all of you ! You shall suffer 
for your insolence, rely upon it !” 

She extended her hand with a lordly air; but the tall woman 
seized it as if it had been offered for a friendly grasp, shook it 
with well-feigned cordiality, and burst into a noisy laugh, in 
which the others joined uproariously. “ Oh, Fraulein, have 
you grown so brave all of a sudden because” — and she pointed 
with her thumb over her shoulder — “ a dog barked over there? 
That is Hans Sonnemann’a terrier : I know his voice well. He 
will not stir from his master, who is stone-deaf. They are 
going to the tavern together, as they do every afternoon. 
Make yourself easy, — they’ll not come near here. And you 
have nothing to do, my fine Fraulein, with the sale of the 
factory, eh ? You’ll find no one to believe that. They need 
only look at you to see which way the wind blows. You and 
the old madame rule the roast ; the councillor must obey, and, 
now that he is rich enough, shake himself clear of all the 
common people who have earned him his money. No, we 
can’t help it, but we can thank you for it, Fraulein.” 

She drew nearer, and her small, sharp eyes gleamed with a 
cat-like cruelty. 

Flora, in horror, covered her face with her hands. “ God 
of heaven, they will murder us 1” she gasped, with white lips. 

The whole rabble laughed. 

“ Not a bit of it, Fraulein,” said the woman. “ We’re not 
such fools. Where would be the use of putting a rope here ?” 
And she passed her hand beneath her chin, with a significant 
gesture. “ But you shall have something to remember us by.’* 

Suddenly, Flora, as in obedience to a momentary impulse, 
took from her pocket her porte-monnaie, opened it, and scat- 
tered its contents, gold and silver, upon the ground. In- 
stantly the circle widened, and the foremost boys were about 
to scramble for the money. “ Stop that 1” yelled the giantess, 


128 


AT THE COUNCILLORS. 


pushing them back into a close crowd with her powerful 
arms. “ There will be time enough for that afterwards. 
Afterwards, Fraulein.” She turned slowly, and with an air 
of coarse irony, to the beautiful woman. “ First, a token for 
voul” 

“ Take care how you touch us !” said Kitty. She perfectly 
retained her composure, while her two sisters were nearly 
fainting. 

“ Ah, you I What business is it of yours ? Why should 
I take care ? What signifies a couple of weeks in the cage ?” 
She made a scornful gesture. “ ’Tis nothing ; and the judge 
never gives more for — well, for a box on the ear, or a couple 
of scars on the face. And those you shall have, Fraulein, sure 
as I stand here !” And she turned to Flora and elevated her 
voice. “ I will paint your snowy skin so that you will re- 
member me as long as you live. You shall show as fine a 
striped face as any tiger in the menagerie !” 

Quick as lightning she lifted her hands to bury her dirty 
nails in Flora’s cheek ; but Kitty was as quick. She seized 
the bony wrists, and with one vigorous thrust sent the huge 
woman backwards among the rabble, making a wide breach 
in their circle. An indescribable tumult ensued. The mob 
rushed upon the strong, steadfast girl, who stood full in front 
of her sisters, still deadly pale, but undaunted. Flora had 
sunk on the ground and thrown her arms around the trunk 
of the pine, pressing her menaced face against the bark. 
Her white hat had fallen ofif, and was trampled beneath the 
feet of the assailants. 

“ Help I help 1” screamed Henriette, with one last super- 
human efibrt, as the rush was made upon Kitty, whose black 
lace mantle was torn to shreds in an instant. Her hat was 
snatched from her head, and the loosened braids of hair fell 
down her back, when the boy who had again clapped his hand 
upon Henriette’s mouth gave a howl of dismay. “ Good 


AT THE COUNCILLORS. 


129 


God ! what ails her now ?” he yelled, and dashed in among 
the crowd to escape. 

A crimson stream was trickling from the invalid’s lips, as, 
with failing glances, she clutched wildly at some support, 
while all recoiled in horror. Blood 1 In an instant the mob 
scattered in every direction. The bushes snapped and cracked 
on all sides, as when a herd of deer break through the under- 
brush, and then came a silence so profound that it seemed as 
if the rabble rout had sunk into the earth. Even if here 
and there a boy’s head emerged from the bushes to peep 
greedily at the money scattered about, it did so without noise 
and with great caution. 

Kitty threw her arms around her sister and sank with her 
upon the ground, leaning against the trunk of the pine and 
pillowing the invalid’s head upon her breast. In this position 
the blood gradually ceased to flow. 

“ Go for help !” she said, without turning her tearful eyes 
from Henriette’s death-like face, to Flora, who was gazing 
down upon the group, her hands clasped to her bosom in 
impatient terror. 

“Are you mad?” she exclaimed, in a suppressed tone. 
“ Would you have me run into the arms of those wretches? 
I will not stir from here alone. We must try to get Henriette 
away.” 

Kitty answered not a word : she saw how vain would be 
any appeal to such selfishness. With Flora’s assistance she 
got upon her feet, Henriette lying like a child in her arms, 
perfectly unconscious, her head resting upon her sister’s 
shoulder. Thus she actually glided over the ground, avoid- 
ing even the smallest stones that could jar and thus endanger 
her precious burden. Of course this precaution increased 
the difi&culty of her task ; but she could neither pause nor 
draw a long breath. 

“ Best as long as you choose when we have reached the 
I 


130 


AT THE COUNCILLOR'S. 


open fields, — but not here, if you would not have me die 
of terror,” Flora said, authoritatively. She walked close by 
Kitty’s side, her head held high with her usual haughty air, 
nevertheless keenly scanning each bush on either side of the 
path, ready to take to flight at the first suspicious noise. 
Where was the courage to which Henriette had ironically 
alluded ? Where the self-reliance, the masculine energy, she 
had herself so vaunted? In this terrible hour Kitty could 
npt but reflect that where a woman ceases to think, to feel, 
and to struggle like a woman^ her life is a farce, and a farce 
only. 


CHAPTER XI. 

At last they emerged upon the sunny open fields. Kitty 
leaned for a moment against the trunk of a huge oak-tree, 
while Flora walked on a few paces to be entirely free of 
the “horrible” forest. The danger was past: there were 
men ploughing within calling distance, the steeples of the 
city were in view, and directly in front lay the road leading 
to the gates of the park of Villa Baumgarten. 

But Kitty’s eyes were fixed upon an object which Flora 
did not see, — ^the low roof, with the tall chimneys and gilded 
weathercock, that lay so peacefully amid its surrounding fruit- 
trees. She could see distinctly the picket-fence of the garden, 
— it was much nearer at hand than the park gates, — and 
thither, after a brief rest, she silently directed her steps. 

“ Where are you going?” cried Flora, who was already on 
her way to the park. 

“ To Doctor Bruck’s house,” replied the young girl, walk- 
ing quietly forward without pausing. “ It is the nearest place 


AT THE COUNCILLORS. 


131 


where we can find a bed where Henriette can be laid, and 
all necessary assistance. Perhaps the doctor himself is at 
home.” 

Flora frowned and hesitated ; but whether she fancied her- 
self still followed by the revengeful woman with the long, 
bony fingers, or whether she, in the present state of her 
toilette and without a hat, feared to encounter pedestrians on 
the road to the park, she silently followed Kitty’s lead. 

Thus they crossed the fields. The task that Kitty had 
undertaken was laborious indeed. The unfrequented field 
was full of holes and very stony ; at every false step she 
made, her blood fairly curdled with terror lest Henriette 
might have a recurrence of the last fearful attack. Then, 
too, the sun, hot as upon a day in August, beat down upon 
her unprotected head ; now and then the world seemed to 
swim in a strange, lurid light around her, and she was in 
imminent danger of sinking down with exhaustion. But at 
such moments she riveted her gaze upon the doctor’s house ; 
it came nearer and nearer, — a lovely picture of rural peace 
and refreshing repose. She could now clearly see the order 
and care that reigned behind the picket-fence, and in the 
midst of her terror and fatigue she was aware of a sensation 
of pleasure. A man in shirt-sleeves was constructing an 
arbour, an arbour for the dean’s widow : the old lady could 
not forget the vine-wreathed arbour in the parsonage garden 
of long ago. Again she would be able to enjoy a seat in the 
open air. How the simple pleasure would delight her ! 

She herself now descended the stone steps of the front 
door in her white cap and apron, bringing to the laborer 
some afternoon refreshment. She stayed for a moment, 
apparently talking to the man about his work; it did not 
occur to either of them to look abroad over the fields. Kitty 
was just considering whether she should not call to them fc’' 
help, when the doctor himself came out of the house. 


132 


AT THE COUNCILLOR'S. 


“ Bruck !” Flora called across the field, with all the clear, 
silvery strength of her voice. 

He paused, gazed for one moment at the advancing group, 
and then, tearing open the garden-gate, rushed towards them. 
“ Good heavens ! what has happened ?” he cried, as he came 
up. 

“ I have been assaulted by a mob of savage MaBnads,” Flora 
answered, with a bitter smile, but with all her old scorn and 
proud indifference of manner. “ The wretches meant mis- 
chief ; my life was in danger, and this poor creature” — she 
pointed to Henriette — “has had a hemorrhage from terror 
and agitation.” 

He only glanced towards her — she was there, safe and un- 
injured — as he immediately took Henriette from Kitty’s arms. 
“ You have exerted a superhuman amount of strength,” he 
said, scanning her face and figure anxiously. A nervous 
tremor possessed her frame, she bit her lip convulsively, and 
her cheeks glowed as if the heated blood would burst through 
the delicate skin. And beside her stood Flora, now cool and 
quiet, her cheeks flushed, to be sure, but only with the memory 
of what had occurred. 

“You should not have allowed your sister to bear this 
burden alone,” the doctor said to her as he carefully carried 
the still unconscious Henriette towards the house. 

“ How can you say so, Bruck !” she exclaimed, with an 
injured air. “ Such a reproach from you is very unjust,” 
she added, sharply. “ I know my duty, and would have 
been only too glad to carry Henriette ; but I felt it would 
be madness to attempt it with my delicate physical organi- 
zation, while Kitty’s is one of those sound, robust, Valkyria 
natures to whom such a task is a trifle.” 

He answered not a word, but called to his aunt, who was 
hastening towards him, to prepare a bed immediately. She 
hurried back into the house, and when her nephew ascended 


AT THE COUNCILLOR'S. 


133 


the steps to the hall, she was standing at the open door of a 
western room, into which, mutely and with an anxious face, 
she motioned him to enter. 

It was her guest-chamber, — a tolerably large, sunny room, 
— the bare floor worn but white, the walls, once painted 
j)ink, much defaced, and a monster of a stove of black tiles. 
The gay chintz curtains before the two windows were perhaps 
the only luxury that the dean’s widow had allowed herself in 
her new home. At the head of the bed stood an ancient 
screen covered with Chinese figures, and upon the walls there 
hung in black frames some illustrations, not very artistic, to 
be sure, of “ Louise,” a charming idyl by Vosz. The air of 
the chamber was deliciously fresh and filled with the fragrance 
of lavender. 

The doctor’s face was grave and anxious. It was long 
before his efforts were successful in restoring Henriette to 
partial consciousness. She recognized him at last, but she 
was too weak to lift her hand from the bed to extend it to 
him. He sent the man at work in the garden to Villa Baum- 
garten at once, to acquaint the Frau President with what had 
occurred, and she very soon made her appearance. Until 
her arrival, not a word was spoken in the sick-room. Flora 
stood at one window, gazing out over the fields, and Kitty 
sat at the other, her hands clasped in her lap, her eyes riveted 
upon the bed, while the dean's widow went and came noise- 
lessly, fulfilling all her nephew's behests. 

The Frau President seemed greatly shocked ; she was 
startled afresh at the sight of Henriette’s waxen face upon 
the pillow, and was prepared for the worst when she found 
that the sick girl did not open her eyes when she gently 
spoke to her. Henriette had closed them as her grandmother 
entered the room. 

“ Tell me, for Heaven’s sake, what has happened 1” the 
old lady cried, her soft and carefully-modulated voice sound- 

12 


134 


AT THE COUNCILLORS. 


ing almost harsh in the intense quiet that had reigned in the 
room. 

Then Flora came from the window and told the story. 
Indignantly, and with great distinctness, she portrayed the 
entire scene in the forest, of course never allowing it to appear 
tha^ she had for a moment lost her courage or presence cf 
mind, although she declared that in the midst of a throng of at 
least twenty furies even the strongest nature needed to sum- 
mon up all its energy not to succumb to aversion and disgust 

Meanwhile, the Frau President paced the apartment in the 
greatest agitation, never heeding that her silken train rustled 
over the uneven floor in a way that might be torture to sensi- 
tive nerves. “ What does the philanthrcypist say to all this ?” 
she asked, at last, pausing to look at the doctor through her 
half-shut eyelids with intense irritation. 

He answered not a word. His whole expression was that 
of calm strength as he stood holding Henriette’s hand in his, 
seeming to have neither eyes nor thought for anything but 
the feeble spark of life which each moment threatened to 
extinguish. 

The old lady again approached the bed, and leaned over 
the invalid. 

“ Herr Doctor,” she said, after a momentary hesitation, “ the 
case seems to me a very serious one. Shall we not call in my 
old experienced friend and physician, the councillor of medi- 
cine, Von Bar, in consultation ? You must not take it amiss.” 

“ Not in the least, Frau President,” he said, laying the 
sick girl’s hand, which just then moved convulsively, gently 
upon the bed. “It is my duty to do everything that can 
conduce to your satisfaction.” He then quietly left the room 
to send for the required physician. 

“ Good heavens, what a mistake it was to bring Hennette 
here !” the Frau President exclaimed, in an under-tone, as soon 
as the door closed after him. 


AT THE COUNCILLOR'S. 


135 


“ Kitty is to blame for it,” Flora rejoined, crossly. “ It 
will be her fault if we are obliged to almost live in this 

tumble-down place for weeks to come ” And she glanced 

angrily towards the silent girl at the window. 

“ And what an oversight to place the poor child so that 
every time she opens her eyes she has a full view of that 
horrible stove ! And these daubs on the walls ! — ’tis enough 
to frighten her I” As she spoke, the old lady turned away 
from her and examined the bed. “ This seems to be tolerably 
comfortable, — the linen, at least, is white and fine ; but I will 
send over Henriette’s silken duvet, with a comfortable arm- 
chair for Doctor von Bar, and, above all, another toilette set. 
Stoneware !” she said, contemptuously, as she pushed aside 
the basin and pitcher upon the wash-stand to make room for 
the painted porcelain shortly to arrive. “ Heavens, how 

wretchedly such people live ! And they never feel it 

Do you wish for anything, my angel ?” she interrupted her 
self, in a soft voice, as she hurried to the bedside. 

Henriette had slowly lifted her head and looked about her 
for an instant ; she had now sunk back again and closed her 
eyes, although her strength had sufl&ciently returned to enable 
her to push away her grandmother’s hand as it attempted to 
stroke her own. 

“ Wayward as ever !” sighed the Frau President, as she sat 
down beside the bed. 

The councillor of medicine was not long in making his 
appearance : he came in great consternation. He needed an 
explanation of what had occurred to account for the presence 
of his old friend in the house by the river. He was a hand- 
some old man, excessively neat in his dress, and with an arro- 
gant reserve of manner. He was family physician to the 
reigning prince, who had conferred upon him a patent of 
nobility in reward of his services, which had also obtained 
him quite a number of orders, diamond rings, and gold snufl*- 


136 


AT THE COUNCILLORS. 


boxes. His splendid equipage awaited him on the farthei 
side of the bridge. 

“ Bad, very bad !” he said, with a critical air, going to the 
bedside. He looked at the patient for a minute, and then 
began an examination of her chest. He did it very care- 
fully, but the sick girl moaned, — the repeated touch was 
evidently painful to her. 

Doctor Bruck stood silently beside him with folded arms. 
He never moved; but, as Henriette moaned, his brows con- 
tracted : so thorough an examination at this advanced stage 
of the disease was entirely unnecessary. “ Shall I give you 
my experience of the case. Doctor von Bar?” he asked 
quietly, but evidently with the intention of putting a stop to 
what gave the patient pain. 

The old gentleman glanced towards him. No one could 
confront an enemy with a look of more bitter hatred than 
that which gleamed in the sunken eyes of the distinguished 
physician. “Permit me first to investigate matters myself, 
Herr Doctor !” he answered, coldly, and continued his exam- 
ination. “ Now I am at your service,” he said, a few minutes 
later, retiring from the bedside, and following the doctor into 
his study. 

A.S soon as he had gone, Henriette opened her eyes. Her 
cheeks wore the flush of fever, and, with what was almost 
violence, she demanded to see her own physician, Doctor 
Bruck. 

The Frau President could scarcely repress her annoyance 
at such “ utter waywardness,” but she went, without a word, 
to fulfil the invalid’s request. She did not, however, as she 
had feared she should, intrude upon a consultation : there had 
evidently been none ; the councillor of medicine had paid no 
heed to the young physician’s communications, but had seated 
himself at the study-table to write a prescription. 

Doctor Bruck instantly left the room, and the Frau Presi- 


AT THE COUNCILLOR'S. 


137 


dent stayed to hear her old friend’s opinion. He was rather 
curt and out of humour, spoke of an entire misconception of 
the case, and lamented that the right man was applied to 
only in moments of the greatest danger. The grandmother 
should have overcome her grandchild’s obstinacy long since, 
and consulted the old family physician who had treated her 
in her childhood. In such a case the consideration shown to 
Flora’s lover was culpable. “ First of all, we must see that 
the poor child is transferred as soon as possible, dear madame, 
to her own convenient and elegant bedroom,” he added. “ She 
will be better amid her accustomed surroundings ; and then 
too I can be sure that my directions will be strictly followed, 
which could never be the case here.” 

He dipped his pen in the ink. Suddenly his eyes fell upon 
a beautiful little open box upon the table in the midst of the 
books and writing-materials; it had probably been received 
but a few hours previously, for the wrapping-paper still lay 
beside it. 

Never had the Frau President seen the face of her “ cher- 
ished friend” express such blank dismay as at this moment; 
the pen fell from his hand. 

“ Good heavens ! that is the order of the royal household 

of D 1” he said, tapping the box with a respectful finger. 

“ How comes it in this house, sent to this obscure address?” 

“ Strange !” the Frau President murmured, in a startled 
tone, her delicate white features flushed with a disagreeable 
surprise. She put up her eyeglass to examine the con- 
tents of the little box. “ I do not know the order, or its 
value ” 

“No wonder : it is very rarely bestowed,” the councillor of 
medicine interrupted her. 

“Or I might suppose its reception dated from his last 
campaign ;” she completed her remark. 

“ No possibility of that I” he ejaculated, harshly, — he n^ust 
12 * 


138 


AT THE COUNCILLOR'S. 


have been much agitated to adopt such a tone. “ In the 
place, the order is only bestowed as a reward for services ren 
dered to the royal family ; and then I should like to see the 
man who could possess such a decoration for more than a yeai 
without the world’s knowing it. If I only knew why, — 
knew why !” He rubbed his forehead absently with a hand 
upon which three marks of princely favour glittered in spark* 
ling diamonds ; but of what value were they to him at this 
moment ? They were all presents from his own royal family, 
—not distinctions awarded by a foreign court. 

“ This same order is the goal of the hopes of so many,” 
he continued; “many a person of distinction has sighed for it 
in vain ; and here it lies, as if carelessly thrown aside, on this 
miserable painted table ! — thrown around the neck of a man, 
an ignoramus, disgraced by his repeated failures, — pardon me, 
dear madame, I cannot help saying so, — thrown around his 
neck, I repeat, and no one has an idea of the why or the 
wherefore !” 

He had arisen, and was pacing to and fro in the room. 
The haughty old lady, who so seldom lost her self-possession, 
looked at him the while with a strange air of scrutiny. “ I 
cannot believe,” she observed, in an uncertain tone, “ that 
the decoration has anything to do with his medical services. 
When was he ever at the D court ?” 

The councillor of medicine paused, and laughed aloud : but 
it was a forced laugh. “ I must say, madame, such an idea 
never entered my head, simply because it is — ^impossible. 
The world must be turned upside down indeed before the 
quackery and ignorance of raw tyros can be crowned with 
honour, while genuine merit is trampled under-foot. No, no ; 
that I cannot believe,” He went to a window and drummed 
with his fingers on the glass. “ But who knows what he 
may have undertaken to do ? He vanished for eight days, 
and no one know whither,” he said, after a short silence, in 


AT THE COUNCILLOR'S, 


I3y 

an under-tone. “ Hm ! who knows anything of his outside 
relations ? These schemers, who never speak of their profes- 
sion, have good reasons for silence; there is much in their 
practice of medicine which no honorable man could coun- 
tenance. Well, I say nothing. It has never been my way 
to lift the veil from the dark designs of others. We are all 
in His hands !” And he pointed upwards with such well- 
feigned reliance upon Heaven that only so intimate a friend 
as the Frau President could have failed to be deceived. He 
was always gentle and pious when he imagined himself slighted 
or defrauded of his rights. 

He sat down at the table again, and wrote his prescription, 
but hurriedly, as if the proximity of the fatal box burned his 
fingers. “ One thing I pray of your kindness, my dear 
friend,” he said, as he finished: “try to get to the bottom 
of this affair. I should like to be au fait before Bruck 
begins to boast of his ambiguous distinction, — I should like 
to have some weapon at hand. No need to advise you to use 
the most refined diplomacy: there you are mistress and at 
home.” 

The old lady did not at once reply: she had watched 
him while he had been transcribing on paper the delicate, 
mysterious characters, and had admitted to herself that her 
old friend had suddenly grown strangely old. Not that 
wrinkles had invaded his still blooming cheeks, — his face 
was smooth and plump, — ^but at this moment, when he was 
entirely off his guard, there was in all the lines of his coun- 
tenance an indefinable mixture of anxiety, depression, and 
peevish discontent ; he looked like a man for whom some 
secret, disturbing thought ruins the day’s enjoyment and the 
night’s repose. Now first she remembered that he had of 
late occasionally thrown out delicate hints with regard to 
the caprice of princes. Heavens, what if she should lose 
this friend ! Not that this thought had reference to his 


140 


AT THE COUNGILLOHS. 


transfer from this earthly sphere, — she never, if she could 
help it, thought of death, — ^but he might be pensioned off. 
He could then stand her in no stead at court, and she dreaded 
to think of what this would cost her. Pshaw ! why should 
she? The good old Von Bar was too fond of truffles and 
the like good but indigestible things ; he loved strong wine 
and heavy beer ; he was beginning to be hypochondriacal, to 
have whims and see phantoms ; her refined sensibility was 
sure to warn her of the decline of any influence at court, and 
she had not as yet detected in that delicate weathercock the 
slightest disposition to veer. 

“ But, my dear friend, how do you know that this decora- 
tion belongs to the doctor ?” she asked, with all the assurance 
of an experienced woman of the world. “ I cannot believe 
that it does, because, with all the will in the world, I cannot 
see how it should. At all events, whatever is the state of the 
case, it will do him no good in our capital, where he is, as it 
were, dead. I will willingly investigate the affair, solely for 

your satisfaction ” She stopped; the door of the next 

room opened, and the dean’s widow entered it to get some- 
thing from her closet. 

The councillor of medicine arose and gave the prescription 
to the Frau President. Then both passed through the room 
where the dean’s widow was just closing the closet-door. 
Doctor von Bar would gladly have put an end to his anxiety 
by provoking an explanation by some facetious remark as he 
passed her ; but the old lady made him an inclination so cool 
and dignified, so full of grave reserve, that he did not venture 
to address her. 

In the invalid’s apartment there was no better chance to 
satisfy his mind. The doctor had brought the glass globe of 
gold-fish from his aunt’s room, and was busy arranging the 
apparatus of a little fountain attached to it ; the maid was 
bringing fresh water to fill various deep plates on the tables 


AT THE COUNCILLORS. 


141 


and a bucket near the sick-bed, — all to moisten as much as 
possible the atmosphere of the room. Who could disturb a 
man thus given over to the performance of his duty by cap- 
tious remarks with regard to outside affairs ? And, besides, 
the councillor of medicine instantly felt relieved upon the 
subject. There must be some hidden and harmless explana- 
tion of the whole matter; for no man who had just been 
honoured by so rare a distinction could possibly conduct him- 
self so quietly and unconsciously as the young physician. 

Henriette was sitting propped up with pillows in bed; 
fever had set in. Removal to the villa was out of the ques- 
tion, however earnestly the Frau President might desire it. 
She was obliged to content herself with sending Henriette’s 
maid to stay through the night, with everything that could 
make the sick-chamber “comfortable.” Kitty’s entreaty to 
be allowed to take charge of her sister during the night was 
set aside, not so much by the Frau President and Doctor 
von Bar as by Doctor Bruck, who was very decided in the 
matter. Tears rushed to the young girl’s eyes as he refused 
to yield one jot of his opinion that the maid, acting under 
his directions, was all that was required. Accordingly, it was 
arranged that Flora and Kitty should remain until ten o’clock, 
and then give place to Nanni. 

Flora maintained an impassive silence during this diseus- 
sion. She was conscious, as was her grandmother, that she 
must not be outdone by Kitty in attention to her own sister 
in this illness, which, with the adventure in the wood, was 
likely to furnish talk for the .capital the next day, and there- 
fore she was satisfied to abide by the doctor’s decision. 


142 


AT THE COUNCILLORS. 


CHAPTER XII. 

ISOON after the departure of the Frau President and hei 
friend, footmen and house-maids arrived from the villa, bring- 
ing all sorts of cushions, coverings, and furniture, which were 
noiselessly transferred to the sick-room. The simple but cosy 
apartment shortly wore the air of an auction-room : an em- 
broidered screen before the shabby black stove, the gorgeous 
toilette set, shining apple-green satin arm-chairs, — how ridicu- 
lously unsuitable, as if blown hither by some unfavourable 
wind, they all looked within the faded, defaced walls ! 

Without a change of countenance, with all her own calm 
gentleness of manner, the dean’s widow removed her despised 
belongings. Her eyes never once encountered those of the 
doctor, who stood, with folded arms, at a window, silently 
watching the alterations. Perhaps the old lady feared he 
might detect in her glance some trace of annoyance, and that 
must not be. 

This invasion of accustomed elegance infused with fresh 
energy Flora’s hitherto apathetic demeanour ; she directed its 
arrangement, — put the green silk duvet upon Henriette’s bed 
with her own hands, and sprinkled a whole bottle of cologne- 
water over the bare floor. Then she had a thick rug laid 
by the vacant window, and placed upon it an arm-chair, into 
which, as soon as the servants had left, she threw herself, 
crossing her little feet upon an embroidered footstool. It 
really looked as if she had fled to an oasis in the surrounding 
desert, she so gathered herself together, so coldly scrutinized 
everything outside of her carpeted corner. She had noticed, 
in the “ ridiculously small” looking-glass enclosed in a brown 
frame, that her thin hair was disarranged. Therefore she 


AT THE COUNCILLORS 


143 


had taken a little white lace fichu from her neck and tied 
it loosely over the dishevelled curls : the airy fabric crowned 
her charming head like a saintly halo. The dean’s widow 
could not help gazing at her ; she certainly was a wonderfully 
beautiful creature. For the first time she understood how, 
neither in his wild student days, nor upon the battle-field, had 
the doctor been able to forget this enchanting being, and her 
present strange conduct, her gloomy taciturnity, disappointing 
as it was, was but the natural effect of the terrible adventure 
of the day. 

Meanwhile, the day drew to a close. The western skies 
were afiame, the wreaths of green trailing down from the 
hanging-baskets at the windows were tipped with gold, and 
the roses on the curtains looked like giant peonies, flooding 
the sick-room with fiery splendour. 

Henriette lay back among her pillows, with closed eyes. 
She had protested against the drawing of the curtains “ be- 
cause the dull twilight would stifle” her, and she begged 
that every one would come in and go out of her room as 
usual and speak in ordinary tones, — she could not endure 
whispering and “ tiptoe tread she was even afraid of it : it 
made her think that every one thought her dying. Her wish 
was granted. Without being noisy, all tried to preserve their 
usual manner of speaking and stepping. 

When the doctor left the room for a few moments to get a 
book, the dean’s widow entered, bearing a small waiter, and 
immediately a delicious fragrance of tea overcame even the 
strong odour of cologne water. The waiter was covered with 
a napkin of the finest damask, the cups were of old porcelain, 
and the antique silver spoons massive and thick, inherited 
through many generations. The red sunlight illumined and 
transfigured the elderly figure that, advancing in spotless 
purity of attire, offered some refreshment to the beautiful 
woman in the arm-chair by the window. 


144 


AT THE COUNCILLOR'S. 


“ Home-made waffles ?” And Flora started up from hei 
half-reclining posture. “ Oh, yes ! even in this corner I 
could smell them baking in the kitchen. How good they 
look!” She clasped her hands as if in naive admiration. 
“ Good heavens, one needs to be as entirely unfit for domestic 
cares as I am to be as utterly ignorant of how to produce 
such a little work of art! How much patience and how 
much time it must take I” 

“ Time flies so fast that I have learned to accomplish small 
tasks quickly,” the old lady replied, with a smile, “ so as to 
have many hours of leisure at my disposal. My household 
cares must not interfere with my intellectual pleasures. This 
last winter I completed the task I had undertaken of reading 
the Bible through from beginning to end ” 

“ For your spiritual welfare ?” asked Flora. 

“ Not at all. I know by heart all those portions that can 
comfort and support me ; but the fierce politico-religious con- 
troversy at present raging in the world should interest women 
greatly, and, although we may not enter the field, we ought 
to range ourselves intelligently beneath some banner, which 
we can do only by divesting our minds of prejudices and 
superstitions engendered by pulpit and school, and studying 
the sacred books themselves.” 

Flora looked at her in mute astonishment. Read through 
the whole Bible for such a reason I How intolerably dry and 
uninteresting I Her poetic nature could never have found 
patience for such a labour. Irritated by the discovery of 
such unexpected intellectual capacity in the woman whom 
she had described as given over to sweeping, baking, and 
darning stockings, she entirely forgot the part she herself 
hoped to play before the world, — that of an earnest and pro- 
found student. How had the dean’s widow come to know 
anything about what was going on in the intellectual world ? 
Now she knew who had so spoiled the doctor by filling his 


AT THE COUNCILLOR'S. 


145 


imagination with an ideal of a wife who should be housekeeper 
and intellectual companion at one and the same time. 

Kitty had come forward and taken the waiter from the old 
lady. She marked the amazement painted on her sister’s 
beautiful face, and, fearing lest she might give utterance to 
it in some thoughtless remark, hastened to offer her some 
tea. 

Flora impatiently toyed with her handkerchief, and refused 
to take anything, upon the plea that she was “ still too much 
agitated to taste a morsel,” although a few minutes afterwaid 
the young girl saw her take a honbonni^re from her pocket 
and refresh herself with its contents ; evidently she wished 
to avoid accepting any hospitality beneath this roof. Kitty 
perfectly understood that this visit to the old house — this 
glimpse of its simple bourgeois interior — had destroyed every 
vestige of self-control in Flora’s mind ; she could easily read 
in those large, gray-blue eyes, sparkling with impatience, that 
the moment was near at hand when the “yoke must be 
thrown off at all hazards.” In her inmost soul the younger 
sister breathed a fervent prayer that the blow might not strike 
the unhappy man here by his own hearthstone. Fortunately, 
the dean’s widow did not observe Flora’s conduct. Never 
dreaming of the black, threatening cloud that overshadowed 
her peaceful life, she took her waiter from the room after 
Kitty had gratefully accepted a cup of tea. 

The glowing sunset gradually paled. The crimson light 
faded in the sick-room until it illumined only the beautiful 
woman reclining by the window. Flora sat there like some 
evil angel around whom was playing demoniac fire. 

The sick girl grew restless. She plucked at the green silk 
coverlet, evidently attempting to throw it off. “ Take it 
away I the green is full of arsenic !” she whispered, with all 
the hurried vehemence of increasing fever. 

Kitty instantly exchanged the silken coverlet for the cool, 
K 13 


146 


AT THE COUNCILLOR'S. 


white linen counterpane, which she laid smoothly over the 
emaciated body of the poor girl whom the mob in the wood 
had called “ dwarf.” In the glorious eyes there was now not 
a ray of consciousness : they rolled wildly hither and thither 
beneath the half-closed eyelids. 

“ That does me good,” she said, stretching herself wearily. 
“ And now do not let them come in again to smother me with 
that hot, poisonous silk. Grandmamma is false, as is all the 
society she gathers about her, — she and the old poisoner, the 
great authority. I will strike him if he ever dares to lay his 
hateful fingers on my breast !” she muttered, angrily, through 
her shut teeth. Suddenly she sat up in bed and seized 
Kitty’s hand. “ Mistrust him, Bruck !” she said, holding 
up her forefinger ; “ and grandmamma too ! And she, — ^you 
know who I mean, — the one who smokes cigars, and drives 
the new horses furiously because you forbade it, — she is the 
falsest of all !” 

“ Oh, thank you !” Flora said, in an under-tone, with a 
malicious smile, as she nestled in among the cushions of her 
chair. 

Kitty was indescribably distressed as her hand was thus 
firmly held. She never glanced towards the doctor, for 
whom the delirious girl mistook her, and who stood at the 
head of the bed, half hidden by the Chinese screen. 

“ Do you remember how it all used to be ?” Henriette con- 
tinued. “ Do you remember how the footmen used to be sent 
after you through wind and storm with letters, four, five a 
day ? Do you remember how she used to rush to meet you, 
half wild with longing, if you did not come at t’ e appointed 
moment? And how she would throw her arms around you 
as if nothing should ever loosen their clasp ?” 

At this Flora started up, her silken robes rustling, and 
her face as crimson as if the lately- vanished western glow had 
left its stain on her white cheeks. “ Give her morphia I” she 


AT THE COUNCILLORS. I47 

uried. “ This is madness, rather than the delirium of fever ; 
she must sleep.” 

The doctor had just before given the sick girl a teaspoonful 
of medicine; he did not notice Flora’s words, save by the 
slight, fleeting smile with which one receives some ignorant 
and foolish suggestion, never even changing his attitude ; the 
flush called to his cheek by Henriette’s last words instantly 
faded, leaving him as coldly calm and impassive as before. 

Flora sank back angrily in her chair, then turned away her 
head and looked restlessly abroad over the darkening fields. 

“Did you ever believe that all could be so changed, 
Bruck? That she could declare it had all been a mistake?” 
Henriette began again, clasping both her burning hands 
around Kitty’s right. The young girl’s heart seemed to stop 
beating ; on those fever-stricken lips were hovering the words 
to which no one, not even Flora herself, had yet dared to give 
utterance. Hastily she leaned over her sick sister and in- 
stinctively laid her left hand upon her forehead, as if she 
could thus divert her thoughts into another channel. 

“ Oh, that is cool and kind !” Henriette said, with a sigh. 
“ But do you remember how Flora used to thrust your hand 
away from my aching head ? She was terribly jealous.” 

A half-suppressed laugh of contempt came from the win- 
dow. Henriette did not hear it : she was deaf to the outside 
world. 

“ I cannot sleep, for distress at what must come !” she 
moaned, clasping Kitty’s hand, locked in her own, passion- 
ately against her poor breast. “ You will avoid us all and 
be a miserable man, never even uttering our names. Ah, 
Bruck, what can satisfy her boundless vanity, which she calls 
ambition I She wants to sever the bond between you, cost 
what it may.” 

Involuntarily, Kitty moved her hand as if to lay it upon 
the sick girl’s lips. Henriette screamed. “ Not on my 


148 


AT THE COUNCILLORS. 


mouth, like that terrible boy in the forest!” she gasped 
turning away. 

At this moment Flora stood by the bed and thrust aside 
her young sister ; her face, her whole attitude, expressed a 
sudden determination. “ Let her speak out 1” she said, 
authoritatively. 

“ Yes, let me speak out !” Henriette repeated, in a voini 
hoarse from exhaustion, but in the tone of a child content 
at being indulged. “ Who should tell you, Bruck, except 
myself, — myself? Who else should pray you to be upon 
your guard ? Keep your eyes open 1 She will fly from you 
like the dove from the tree, white coquette that she is ; she 
wishes to be free ” 

“ In all her delirium she tells one truth,” Flora inter- 
rupted, resolutely advancing a step towards the doctor. 
“ She is right ; I cannot be to you what I promised. Let 
me be free, Bruck 1” she added, imploringly, raising her 
clasped hands. For the first time Kitty heard how inde- 
scribably sweet her voice could be. 

The decisive words were spoken for which she had planned 
and plotted for months. Kitty had supposed that their first 
utterance would annihilate the betrayed lover; but the light- 
ning produced no visible efiect; the man’s unshaken com- 
posure was as inexplicable to Kitty as if one apparently 
struck by a murderous bullet should walk unharmed out of 
the smoke of the explosion. Grave and silent, he looked 
down at the imploring figure ; but he was pale, pale as death. 
He withheld his hand which she tried to grasp. “ This is 
not the place for such an explanation ” 

“ But it is the moment. Other lips have spoken what has 
hovered upon my own for months, refusing to be clothed in 
words ” 

“ Because it is a notorious breach of faith 1 " 

She bit her lip. “ Your definition is harsh and not correct; 


AT THE COUNCILLOWS. 


14S 


the bond between ns was not indissoluble, and I know that 
no other image has thrust yours from my heart. Do not 
smile so contemptuously, Bruck ! By heaven, I love no 
other man !” she exclaimed, passionately. “ But I will accept 
all reproach,” she added, more calmly, “ sooner than that we 
should both be miserable.” 

“ Leave my happiness or misery out of the question. You 
cannot understand the meaning I attach to those words, but 
you must admit that they are not to be weighed in the 
balance when a man’s honour and self-respect are at stake. 
And now let me entreat you, for your sick sister’s sake, to be 
silent for the present.” He turned away and walked to the 
nearest window. 

She followed him. “ Henriette does not hear,” she said. 
The sick girl had fallen back exhausted among her pillows, 
and was whispering to herself incessantly, like a child telling 
itself some story ; it was true that she did not hear. “You 
have said nothing decisive,” Flora continued, in a tone of 
melancholy depression. “ The final word must be spoken. 
Why postpone what one quick resolve will accomplish?” 
And as she spoke she turned and twisted the betrothal ring 
upon her hand. 

Doctor Bruck looked down upon her over his shoulder. 
Kitty could not but be struck, as they stood thus, with his 
youthful air, which even his manly strength and vigour could 
not diminish. Beneath his moustache the lips showed a deli- 
cate, almost feminine outline, and there was something boyish 
in the moulding of the brow about the temples, in the grace- 
ful, easy carriage of the head, and in the quick, melting fire 
of the eyes. Now, however, his glance rested coldly upon the 
beautiful woman appealing to him. 

“ Fcr what do you propose to exchange a life by my side ?” 
he asked, so suddenly, so sharply, that she started involun- 
tarily. 


13 * 


150 


AT THE COUNCILLOR'S. 


“ Do you need to ask, Bruck ?” she exclaimed, stroking 
the curls from her forehead and taking a long breath, as if 
freed from an intolerable burden. “ Can you not see how 
my whole soul is thirsting to embrace an author’s profession ? 
And could I ever succeed there as my gifts, my special endow- 
ments, so imperatively demand that I should, if I took upon 
myself the duties of a wife ? Never ! never I” 

“ Strange that this inextinguishable thirst should assail 
you for the first time within the' last few months, after 
you ” 

“ After 1 have lived without this fame twenty-nine years,” 
she completed his sentence with a burning blush. “ Account 
for that as you please ; call it a result of the feminine nature, 
which gropes and errs until it finds the right path ” 

“ Are you so sure that it is the right path ?” 

“ As sure as that the needle seeks the pole.” 

He passed her without a word, took the medicine from the 
table, and approached the bed. It was time to administer it 
to the patient again, but she had fallen asleep, with Kitty’s 
hand clasped firmly in both her own. He seemed to the 
young girl to be acting automatically, as if mental agitation 
were robbing him of control over his movements. He never 
looked at her ; it might well humiliate him to have a witness 
present during this wretched scene ; but had not she, too, 
sufifered in remaining? She had several times attempted to 
withdraw her hand, that she might flee as far as her feet could 
carry her, but at her slightest movement Henriette would 
start in uncontrollable terror. 

He attempted to feel the sleeping girl’s pulse. Kitty tried 
to assist him by placing her left hand beneath Henriette’s 
wrist ; in doing so, her palm for a moment came in contact 
with his clasping fingers. He started, and changed colour so 
instantly that she withdrew her hand in terror. Why was it ? 
Had what he had just passed through made him so nervous 


AT THE COUNCILLOR'S. 


151 


that any outward contact irritated him? She' glanced aside 
at him. His breast heaved in a long sigh as he turned away 
to place the medicine again upon the table. 

Meanwhile, Flora had paced the room to and fro in a 
state of indescribable agitation and impatience. Now she 
approached the doctor standing by the table. “ It was unwise 
to confess my feelings so frankly,” she said, with anger spark- 
ling in her eyes. His silence and the quiet fulfilment of hig 
medical duties in the midst of such a conflict had greatly 
irritated her. “*You are one of those who despise a woman’s 
mental power ; you belong to the thousands of irreclaimable 
egotists who would deny permission to woman to stand upon 
her own feet ” 

“ Most certainly, if she cannot stand.” 

She clenched her small hand upon the table and gazed into 
his face for one moment, her lips compressed and white. 
“ What do you mean by that, Bruck ?” she asked, sharply. 

He frowned slightly, and a faint crimson tinged his cheek 
and forehead ; his was evidently one of those sensitive natures 
which an interchange of sharp words leading to recrimination 
stretches upon the rack. “ I mean,” he replied, with equal 
firmness, and with well-maintained coolness, “that for this 
' standing upon her own feet’ — to which woman certainly is en- 
titled when by so doing she does not interfere with duties that 
have a prior claim — that for this ‘ standing upon her own feet’ 
a firm, unbending will, an entire eradication of sensitive femi- 
nine vanity, and, above all, genuine talent, are indispensable.” 

“ And you deny me the possession of these latter qualifica- 
tions ?” 

“ T have read your articles upon the ‘ Labour Question’ 
and the ‘ Emancipation of Woman.’ ” His voice, usually so 
finely modulated, grew sharp and keen. 

Flora started as if threatened with a blow. “ How do you 
know that T am the author of the articles you have road?’ 


152 


AT THE COUNCILLOR'S. 


she asked, falteringly, but with her eyes intently fixed upon 
his face. “ I write under false initials.” 

“ But those initials were well known throughout your large 
circle of acquaintance long ago, — before the essays were pub-, 
lished.” 

She looked confused and ashamed for a moment as she 
averted her eyes. “ Well, you have read them,” she then 
said. “ And what must I think of your never alluding to 
these efforts of mine, — your never even mentioning your 
disapproval of them?” 

“ Could I have induced you to lay aside the pen ?” 

No, no, — ^never !” 

“ That I knew, and therefore intended to say nothing until 
I should have the right to do so. Of course a sensible woman 
cleaves to her husband and does not isolate herself in special 
interests, even although in common with a keen sense of duty 
she possess great gifts, distinguished talent ’’ 

“ Which I of course do noi,” she interrupted him, bitterly. 

“ No, Flora ; you have wit and intelligence, but no origi- 
nality,” he replied, gravely, shaking his head and resuming 
his usual calm manner of speaking. 

For a few seconds she stood petrified by this simple sen- 
tence, evidently the result of entire conviction, and then, 
with a half-frantic mixture of affected merriment and unre- 
pressed anger, she extended her arms. “ Thank Grod, this 
puts an end to all hesitation, all uncertainty ! I should have 
been a slave, a poor, down-trodden drudge, from whose soul 
the divine spark of poesy would have been torn — to light 
with it the kitchen fire.” 

She spoke too loudly. The sick girl, who had slumbered 
during the exchange of words in an even under-tone, opened 
her eyes wide and stared about her. The doctor hurried to 
the bedside ; he gave her her medicine and gently laid his 
hand upon her forehead. Beneath his soothing touch the 


AT THE COUNCILLOR'S. 


153 


wild ejes closed again. All, could the poor sufferer have 
dreamed what a tempest she had invoked upon this man’s 
head, — she who had hitherto done everything in her power 
to avert such a misfortune ! 

“ I must seriously entreat you not to disturb your sister 
further,” the doctor said, turning his head towards Flora as 
he bent over the bed, his hand still upon Henriette’s forehead. 

“ I really have nothing more to say,” Flora rejoined, with 
an unsuccessful attempt to smile, as she took her gloves from 
her pocket. “ Everything is at an end between us, as, after 
your last offensive remarks, you must be perfectly aware. I 
am free ” 

“ Because I deny your possession of a talent to which you 
lay claim ?” he asked, controlling his voice by an effort. And 
now his indignation mastered him ; he suddenly stood erect 
and tall before her. Everything in his air and bearing that 
had bespoken youth and patient gentleness vanished: this 
was an angi-y, indignant man. “ Let me ask you whom 1 
wooed, the authoress, or Flora Mangold? As Flora Man- 
gold, and only as such, you placed your hand in mine, know- 
ing well that the woman who married me must be my wife, 
belonging to me alone, and no flickering will-o’-the-wisp of 
society. You knew this ; you took pains to adapt yourself 
to my desire, — exaggerated pains, for I never should have 
required my wife to devote herself to cooking cares, as your 
zeal prompted you to do for a while. No ; she was to be my 
intellectual inspiration, my pride, my sympathetic companion, 
the light of my household.” 

He paused for breath, never for an instant averting his 
indignant gaze from the beautiful woman, who looked mean 
and pitiable enough as she strove in vain to retain her usual 
arrogant demeanour and carriage. 

“ I have followed this change in you, step by step, from 
the flrst wayward frown upon your brow to the words that 

G* 


154 


AT THE COUNCILLOR'S. 


left your lips but a moment ago,” be began again. “ In the 
grasp of your own feminine infirmities,— arrogance, vanity, 
and caprice, — you are unutterably weak ; and yet you would 
play the strong-minded woman, would espouse woman’s cause, 
arrogating for your sex firmness of purpose, calmness of judg- 
ment, and strength of will that would usurp every manly 
prerogative 1 What I think of your conduct, what my inmost 
conviction is, whether I am to be happy or utterly wretched, 
is not the question at present. We have solemnly plighted 
our troth to each other for life — we are bound. Oh, it has 
been often enough said of you that you ensnare and play 
with men’s hearts at first to make them a public scorn and 
mockery in the end ! Mine you shall not thus place in the 
pillory, rely upon that ! You are not free : I do not release 
you. Perjure yourself if you choose : I shall keep my word !” 

“ Shame upon you !” she cried, beside herself. “ Would 
you drag me to the altar when I tell you that I have long 
ceased to love you? that at this moment, standing here, I 
can scarcely control my bitter hatred of you ?” 

At this terrible outbreak Kitty arose ; she had succeeded 
in gradually withdrawing her hand from Henriette’s clasp. 
She hurried from the room with averted eyes : she could not 
look in the face the man who had just received what must be 
his death-blow 


AT THE COUNCILLOR'S. 


155 


CHAPTER XIIL 

Twilight already reigned in the hall, which looked towards 
the north, but in the kitchen the last red gleam from the west 
played upon the walls and fell upon the red tiled floor. 

The dean’s widow stood there by the window, washing the 
tea-cups that had been used. The cook-maid whom she had 
been obliged to dismiss was to return on the morrow ; she had 
been ill, and the chief household duties were therefore still 
performed by the old lady. She nodded kindly to Kitty and 
smiled : not the least suspicion of what was going on behind 
the opposite broad folding-door disturbed her gentle spirit. 
The young girl shivered, and hurried past her into the garden. 

It had grown very cool. A strong breeze came blowing 
into her face and over her unprotected shoulders from the 
river. She ran towards it. Her temperament was sensitive, 
prone to emotion ; the warm blood of youth circled in hei 
veins ; cheeks, eyes, her whole frame even to her tingling 
finger-tips, glowed, aflame with indignant agitation. 

It had been terrible, that struggle bet\.'>en two human 
souls. And the guilty one, who- alone was to blame for it, 
was her sister, — a faithless, frivolous woman, who could 
lightly bind the tie that should pledge her to a man. for life, 
only to sever it at her wayward will, as if it were the merest 
summer gossamer floating on the air I This time, indjed, 
Flora had reckoned falsely : where she had expected to tread 
beneath her feet a heart subdued to submission by public 
condemnation and her own systematic ill treatment, she had 
encountered steel. But what would the firmness and energy 
with which he defied her avail him? He must succumb 

Kitty stepped upon the bridge, and, resting her hands (»n 


156 


AT THE COUNCILLOR’S. 


the frail balustrade, looked down. The waters rushed beneath 
her feet, struggling against every stone that maintained its 
place in the bed of the stream, every root that projected from 
the shore, and in the struggle dashing up mimic showers of 
spray; but at a little distance the pale crescent moon was 
mirrored in its depths as though nothing could ever efface it. 
Was love thus steadfast in the human heart? Could the 
fiercest struggles beat around it in vain ? Did it never fade, 
although its ideal were shattered ? No ; she had just seen 
that it did not. 

Wondrous indeed must be this passion of lovel Once 
already beneath that very roof it had hounded on a human 
soul through every stage of misery and despair. Many years 
before, as the dean’s widow had related to Kitty on one of 
their homeward walks, the lovely young widow of a Baron 
von Baumgarten had lived in the house by the river. Her 
husband’s heir and successor, the scion of a collateral branch, 
a handsome young cavalier, had daily come from his inherited 
castle to have one look at the lovely face shrouded in its 
widow’s weeds. He might not enter the house, for she trans- 
gressed no bounds that custom had assigned to a young widow. 
But he would ride across the narrow bridge on his black steed 
and rein in the foaming fiery charger close to the wall of the 
house, that he might inhale the air she had breathed and kiss 
devotedly her small white hand. Those who saw him declared 
that when her period of mourning was past the beautiful widow 
would once more reign as mistress in Castle Baumgarten. 

But once he was absent for some months at a foreign court, 
and it was rumoured that he would bring home with him a 
bride of noble birth. The fair young widow, when this 
rumour reached her ears, only smiled, and watched for him 
all the more constantly from her window. She never credited 
such treachery until the sound of trumpets and revelry from 
the castle announced the lord’s return with his proud, stately 


AT THE COUNCILLORS 


157 


bride, and that a gorgeous banquet had been arranged in 
honour of their arrival. 

And the next day he rode across the wooden bridge with 
his wife, to present her to the fair dame in the house by the 
river. The gay tulips upon her brocade robe glittered in the 
distance, upon the fan in her hand a coronet gleamed in 
diamonds, and the greyhound that had formerly accompanied 
his master ran before her horse, not, as formerly, to hasten to 
the window whence a fair hand had fed him with sugar and 
bits of bread, — no, it ran along the river-bank to a spot where 
it barked and whined piteously. There upon the water lay 
a snow-white garment, tossed to and fro by the waves which 
could not float it down the stream, for the long, fair braids 
of its owner were entangled among the roots under the river 
bank, and the pale, dead face was held fast, that the false love 
might gaze once more into the wide, glazed eyes. 

The window whence she had looked so confidently to see 
him once more ride across the bridge was the same through 
which the doctor’s study-lamp threw its nightly beam. There 
she must have stood in her bitter despair, watching the water 
hurrying past from the castle resounding with the marriage 
revelry, and she had been mastered by a fierce desire to plunge 
her fair body beneath the waves, that they might bear her far, 
far away from the scene of her past happiness. And now after 
long, long years the same struggle was going on in the same 
spot. No, not the same struggle! Was he not a man, strong 
of soul ? Even should the unhappy woman, who had hidden 
all her misery in the grave by one swift plunge, arise from 
the water and stretch out her white arms to lure him in, he 
would not heed her. Kitty shuddered. Had not Henriette 
said that whoever had once seen Flora love could understand 
that a man would die sooner than resign her? And was 
there now any choice for him, since she had told him that 
she hated him ? 


14 


158 


AT THE COUNCILLOR’S. 


Kitty ran hastily back into the garden, as if the drowned 
woman with the long, fair braids were actually arising by the 
dim shore to bar her way. 

It was growing dark. The forest which had been the scene 
of the rude attack of the afternoon looked like a black pall 
over the low hills, and the ploughed meadow-land lay smooth 
and still, giving no token that millions of living germs were 
there thrusting forth tiny arms beneath the thin crust, ready 
to issue forth into the golden sunlight a waving field of grain. 
Upon the roof the weathercock creaked in the moaning even- 
ing wind, which was gradually increasing and would bring 
torrents of spring rain during the night. The boughs of the 
silver poplars by the fence tossed to and fro, and the loose 
branches in the half-finished arbour cracked beneath its 
strong breath. Those branches were still bare. When they 
were covered with leafy greenery, how would it be with every- 
thing that lay at present unsolved in the dark lap of destiny ? 
Would the dean’s widow ever sit there in the green retreat 
she so loved, peaceful and happy as in the little parsonage 
garden of long ago? Never, if her darling were unhappy or 
if she lost him. 

Kitty timidly turned around the western end of the house. 
The softened light of a night-lamp gleamed from the windows 
of the sick-room: the struggle was not yet ended. The 
doctor stood by one of the windows, his back turned to the 
young girl, his right hand raised as if imposing silence. 
What had she just been saying, — that figure in the dim back- 
ground, not tall enough to allow more of her to be seen than 
the defiant movement of the white lace fichu above the 
golden blonde curls on the forehead ? Had she again imper- 
tinently alluded to his profession ? 

Kitty shivered with nervous agitation, and in her indigna- 
tion she half resolved to interfere to recall the faithless woman 
to a sense of her duty. Should she not enter at once, place 


AT THE COUNCILLORS. 


159 


herself by his side, and confront her perjured sister with all 
the might of her maidenly scorn and anger? What an idea! 
What would he say to such interference on the part of a third 
person ? Suppose he should look round at the intruder with 
cool surprise, or thrust her aside as he had lately done by 
the “ determined” little blue flowers — shame and mortifica- 
tion would annihilate her. 

She walked hurriedly on, shivering with cold. Robust girl 
as she was, clear in mind and sound in nerve, she was sud- 
denly seized with a horror of the solitude about her, of the 
pale light of the golden crescent hung in the heavens, of the 
monotonous gurgling murmur of the rushing water. Through 
the kitchen window she saw the dean’s widow seated by the 
shining kitchen lamp, engaged in some household occupation, 
— a peaceful contrast to the scene in- the sick-room. Quiet 
and soothing as the picture was, in her present feverish state 
of mind and body she could not join the tranquil old lady, 
whose clear glance would soon have detected her agitation. 

The house-door stood open, while the one leading into the 
kitchen was closed. Kitty slipped on tip-toe through the 
dark hall and entered the widow’s sitting-room. Here she 
would try to become calmer, in this darkening, tranquil spot, 
full of the fragrance of flowers and a refreshing warmth. 
She seated herself in the arm-chair behind the work-table. 
The laurels arched above her, the violets and hyacinths on 
the window-sill sent forth a delicious odour, and the canary- 
bird, who was just adjusting himself in the gloom for repose, 
hopped from perch to perch, with an occasional shrill chirp : 
there was some life near her, if only in the breast of a timid 
little bird. But she did not grow calmer. Through these 
rooms the lovely forsaken woman had wandered in her 
widow’s weeds, and the smiling cherubs still ornamenting the 
ceiling had looked down upon her outbreaks of anguish, her 
bitter despair. In vain did Kitty try to banish the phantom, 


160 


AT THE COUNCILLOR'S. 


and tlie thought that perhaps Bruck, too, might not survive 
the pain of separation. Had not Henriette said so ? she had 
seen his intense affection in the early days of his betrothal ; 
she must know how it would be. 

The dean’s widow entered with the lamp which she placed 
every evening upon the doctor’s study-table. She closed the 
windows, pulled down the shades, saw that the fire in the 
stove burned clear, and then left the room, without having 
perceived the young girl in her retreat. Her gentle step died 
away as the door closed, but immediately afterward a manly 
tread was heard in the hall, and the doctor came into the 
room. 

He paused for a moment upon the threshold, and drew a 
long breath, passing his hand across his brow ; he was as un- 
conscious as his aunt had been of the presence, behind the 
leafy screen at the window, of a human heart throbbing in 
mortal agitation. The girlish figure cowered, breathless, 
closer to the window. Was this a miserable, despairing, 
lonely man for evermore ? 

He hastily traversed this room and his own, and went to 
his study-table. Kitty noiselessly arose. Standing in the 
middle of the room, she could see him in his study where 
the light of the lamp clearly illumined his face, which still 
showed traces of the passion that had so lately mastered him. 
Cheek and brow were crimson, as if he had been walking far 
and fast beneath a noonday sun. He had indeed travelled 
a weary road, leading through ruined hopes and illusions de- 
stroyed I Had he reached the end, the dreary goal where 
the lovely Fata Morgana melted away and the terrible soli- 
tude of the future confronted him ? 

As he stood, he wrote a few lines upon a sheet of paper, 
which he then put into an envelope. He did it hastily, in 
evident agitation. He addressed it as hurriedly. Whose 
name did he write ? Could he think of aught in this hour 


AT THE COUNCILLOR'S. 


161 


save the terrible crisis through which he was passing ? The 
letter could be for no one but Flora. Was it a last farewell, 
or the crushing denunciation of a dying man ? 

And now he poured water into the milk-white glass into 
which she had so lately put her wild-flowers, and, opening a 
drawer in his table, took from it a tiny vial. From this, 
carefully holding it against the light, he dropped flve clear 
drops into the glass of water. 

The intense emotion which, gradually increasing, had 
hitherto seemed to paralyze the young girl as she stood thus 
watching the wretched man, now urged her to action. She^^ 
suddenly stood by his side, and, placing one hand upon his 
shoulder, with the other seized the glass he was conveying to 
his lips, and slowly drew it away. 

She could not utter a sound ; but all the anguish, the com- 
passionate pity, that fllled her soul shone in the brown eyes 
raised to his in a mute entreaty more eloquent than words. 
She started back. Grood heavens ! what had she done ? She 
almost sank on the floor beneath the gaze of astonished inquiry 
that she encountered. Stammering some inarticulate words, 
she covered her face with her hands and burst into tears. 

He understood it all in a moment. Placing the fatal glass 
upon the table, he took both her hands in his and drew her 
towards him. “ Kitty, my dear child,’’ he said, in tremulous 
tones, looking into the tearful face which she tried to turn 
from him, as she shook her head. The girl, usually so self- 
possessed and strong, looked at this moment what she really 
was in years, in experience, and in unspotted purity ; her sensi- 
bilities, warm and unhackneyed, had led her on to what now 
left her a prey to maidenly confusion. 

She gently withdrew her hands, and hurriedly put her ker- 
chief to her eyes. “ Ah, I have deeply offended you. Doctor 
Bruck !” she said, still struggling with her tears. “You can 
uever forget my folly. Grood heaven ! how could I suppose 
L 14* 


162 


AT THE COUNCILLOR'S. 


that ” She bit her lip to keep from a fresh outburst of 

weeping. “ But do not judge me too harshly,” she added, 
tremulously. “ What I have endured to-day might well have 
confused a far stronger mind than mine.” 

He scarcely looked at her, — he only glanced at the tender, 
quivering mouth, as if he did not wish to show how he was 
moved by her self-accusation ; but across his face there flitted 
the smile which she knew so well. 

“ You have not offended me,” he said, soothingly j “ and 
how could I dare to sit in judgment on your strength of 
mind ? I do not know, I will not attempt to discover, nor 
even to dispute, the estimate you must have formed of my char- 
acter, my mode of thought, my temperament, to lead you to 
such a conclusion. The error has given me a moment of life 
which I shall certainly never forget. And now calm yourself, 
or rather permit me to exercise my oflice of physician.” He 
took up the glass and offered it to her. “ I was not seeking 

in this glass the quiet that you feared ” He stopped, and 

there was a moment’s pause. ‘‘ I had been carried away, 
mastered by irritation, passion, and that, too, in a sick-room. 
I could not forgive myself, did I not know that I, in common 
with the rest of us, have nerves and blood that will not always 
yield the mastership to my will. A few drops of this” — he 
pointed to the tiny vial — “ will soothe nervous agitation.” 

She took the glass from his hand and obediently drained 
its contents. 

“ And now let me entreat your forgiveness for the wretched 
hour you have so lately passed. I am responsible for that 
miserable scene, for I might have prevented it by a few words 
spoken at the right time.” He smiled, so bitterly, so sarcas- 
tically, that it went to the young girl’s soul. “ Those few of 
my friends who, from pure goodness of heart, have not quite 
dropped me, accuse me of a crushing quantity of beggarly 
pride, because I am not fond of prating of myself. This 


AT THE COUNCILLORS. 


163 


' beggarly pride’ has been a kind of Cassandra-curse to me. 
The world takes silence for incapacity, for want of judgment, 
and so people see no necessity for imposing moral constraint 
upon themselves in their dealings with me. I see men pro- 
fessing to be talented and intellectual commit the clumsiest 
blunders, and I can predict with mathematical precision their 
conduct under certain circumstances — ah, it is too disgust- 
ing I” He lightly stamped his foot upon the floor, and shook 
himself, as if to be rid of some vile reptile. 

He was far from self-possessed ; the indignant blood was 
still in commotion, and the frivolous creature whose wanton 
hand had so made discord in this harmonious nature smiled 
down from the wall in white Iphigenia robes, her hands 
calmly folded, her expression thoughtfully spiritual, almost 
holy. Then she had prized and sought his affection, his 
approval ; then she had been determined to be the realization 
of his ideal, the beneficent fairy of the home of the future 
illustrious professor. She never could have fulfilled this de- 
termination : that home* would have been merely the soil in 
which her greed of admiration would have flourished. He 
might have had a brilliant salon, but no home ; an ambitious 
woman of the world to do the honours of his house, but no 
true, loving wife, no “ sympathetic companion.” He was no 
longer blind, and yet he would not release her. Or was the 
link at length broken, now that Flora had flung so boldly in 
his teeth her hatred of him ? Kitty did not know what had 
occurred after her departure ; but, whatever it had been, there 
was no longer any reason for her remaining here in his study. 

The doctor noticed the dark look she cast at the picture, 
and now saw that she was preparing to leave the room. 

“ Yes, go,” he said. “ Henriette’s maid has come, and is 
already established for the night. The state of the invalid is 
now such as to allow you to return to the villa easy in mind, 
to assist the Frau President, according to her desire, at her 


164 


AT THE COUNCILLOR'S. 


tea-table this evening. I give you my word that you need 
feel no anxiety. I will faithfully watch over your sick sister,” 
he repeated, as she tried to protest against being sent away. 
“ But give me your hand once more !” He held out his own, 
and she quickly and willingly laid hers in it. “ And now, 
whatever may be said of me to you to-day, do not let it influ- 
ence you to misjudge me. In a day or two she” — he did not 
mention her name, but nodded, with a bitter smile, towards 
Flora’s picture — “ will be of an entirely different mind ; it is 
thi^ knowledge that makes me firm. I cannot lay myself 
open ’to the reproach of having taken advantage of a — ^favour- 
able moment.” 

She looked up at him entirely mystified, and he nodded 
significantly with a strange air of resignation, as if to say, 
“ Yes, thus matters stand,” but neither of them spoke a word. 

“ Good-night, good-night,” he said, immediately afterwards, 
and, with a light pressure, dropped her hand and turned to 
his writing-table, while she left the room. Involuntarily she 
looked round as she stood upon the threshold : he was, oddly 
enough, raising the empty glass to his lips, but, as he did so, 
it fell from his hand and was broken into a hundred frag- 
ments upon the fioor. 

In the sick-room she found Flora ready for departure, 
looking as if every fibre of her frame were thrilling with 
nervous excitement. “Where have you been, Kitty?” she 
said, crossly. “ Grandmamma is waiting for us ; it will be 
your fault if our tea is flavoured with reproaches.” 

Kitty did not reply. She threw over her shoulders the 
wrap which the maid had brought her, and went to the bed- 
side. Henriette was sleeping quietly ; the feverish colour was 
fading from her cheeks. The young girl gently breathed kiss 
after kiss upon the small transparent hand that lay relaxed 
upon the counterpane, and then followed her imperious sister, 


AT THE COUNCILLOR'S. 


165 


in the hall a lamp was burning, and a footman from the 
villa stood waiting. The doctor came from his study at this 
moment, and the blush of shame returned to Kitty’s cheek 
as she saw him hand to the man the note she had supposed 
to contain a last farewell to his false love, and which bore the 
address of a young physician in town. 

Flora swept past him, as if unwilling to interrupt his in 
structions to the servant, and vanished in the darkness. But 
Kitty went into the kitchen to take leave of the widow. The 
old lady gravely shook her head when she found that Flora had 
actually left the house without even bidding her good-night, 
but she said nothing, and followed the doctor into the sick- 
room to see the invalid once more before retiring to her own 
apartment. 

Flora waited just outside of the house until the servant’s 
footsteps had died away on the other side of the bridge. 
The light from the open hall-door feebly illumined her angry 
face : it looked as if a curse were hovering upon the parted 
lips. With an air of unspeakable contempt her gaze rested 
upon the old house, marking the red tiled floor and bare 
walls of the hall, and the entire exterior of the dwelling, as 
if to make of the whole a complete picture in her mind. 

“Oh, yes ; greatly to my taste all this would have been, — 
a cottage with the man of my choice !’” she said, with in- 
tense sarcasm, slowly nodding her head : “ a husband without 
position or influence ! a dreary old barn for a home in the 
midst of a lonely fleld ! and an isolated existence for the 
means of which my own limited income must suffice ! I 
have never known before what humiliation was. To-day, for 
the flrst time, in the midst of those sordid surroundings, I 
felt dragged down, as it were, from the pedestal where spot- 
less descent, easy circumstances, and the possession of intel- 
lectual force have placed me. Grod grant that Henriette’s 
illness may not terminate fatally ! I could not bid her a last 


166 


AT THE COUNCILLOR'S. 


farewell, for this house shall never again see me within its 
walls. Never was woman more shamefully deluded than I 
have been ; I could rage against myself for having been so 
blindly and unsuspectingly lured into such a snare.” 

She turned and hurried towards the bridge. The moon- 
light, gleaming like a thin silvery veil upon the water, shed 
its pale rays upon her; the wind, already rising, fluttered her 
dress and, tearing the shiny silken covering from her head, 
tossed ip the light ringlets in snaky curls above her white 
brow. 

“ He does not release me, in spite of my prayers and strug- 
gles,” she said, pausing in the middle of the bridge, to her 
sister, who had followed her, and now would have passed her 
without a word. “You were there; you heard what was 
said. He is acting without honour, without pity, like some 
usurer, who has failed to degrade his victim but yet insists 
upon the fulfilment of the bargain made between them. Let 
him content himself with the shadow of justice he boasts on 
his side. From this moment I am free !” 

With the last words, she drew the betrothal ring from her 
finger and hurled it far into the rolling water. 

“ Flora, what have you done ?” Kitty exclaimed, as she 
leaned over the railing of the bridge and stretched out her 
hand as if to catch the ring ere it fell. In vain : it had 
sunk beneath the stream. Would the waters bear it away, 
or would it fall and lie buried near the house where sorrow 
had come with the advent within its walls of faithful, loving 
human souls ? The young girl half expected to see the pale, 
dead woman who had once found refuge beneath those waves 
arise from their glittering depths to bring back the rejected 
symbol of fidelity. With a shudder, she covered her eyes 
with her hand. 

“ You little fool, you look as if I had thrown myself in !” 
Flora said, with a cold smile. “ A woman with less force of 


AT THE COUNCILLOR'S. 


167 


character and will might have done so perhaps. I simply 
cas< from me the last link of a detested chain.” She raised 
her hand, and seemed to caress the finger whence the ring 
had been drawn. “ It was but a slender circlet of gold, 
simple as the man there” — she nodded towards the house — 
“ would pretend to be with his affectation of Spartan manners, 
and yet it weighed upon me like iron. Let it lie buried and 
rust : I begin a new life.” 

Yes, she had thrown aside the burden, — thrown it aside 
“ at all hazards,” as she herself had said. The bugbear of a 
hated marriage vanished ; the sun of fame would rise in its 
stead. 

Flora hurried on as if the ground were burning beneath 
her feet, and Kitty silently followed her. In her young mind 
all was for the moment a wild tempest of confusion and un^ 
certainty; the sound, healthy judgment she was wont to 
bring to bear upon men and things was obscured: she was 
tossing, rudderless, between right and wrong, truth and false- 
hood. Did not the beautiful creature beside her — the personi- 
fication, as it were, of glaring wrong, arrogance, and cruel 
self-will — conduct herself with all the determination and 
complacent resolve of one to whom no other course lay open? 
Was not Flora trampling beneath her feet her plighted word, 
every consideration of truth and honour ? 

In the vestibule of the villa the servant informed the two 
sisters that the Frau President had visitors : two old friends 
had come to tea. 

“ So much the better,” Flora said to Kitty. “ I am really 
not in the mood to act Scheherazade for grandmamma to- 
night. Madame the general’s wife always has her pocket 
full of gossip and news from town ; so I can be spared.” 

She went in, as she said, to preside for half an hour at the 
tea-table, and then she retired to her room with her “ sur- 
charged heart.” But Kitty excused herself on the plea of a 


168 


AT THE COUNCILLOR'S. 


headache. It seemed, indeed, as though what she had passec. 
through were bringing illness to both head and heart. 


CHAPTER XIV. 

The next morning all were astir at Villa Baumgarten. 
Towards midnight a telegraphic despatch had announced the 
return of the councillor from Berlin, and an hour later he 
had arrived. He brought with him two business friends, 
commercial grandees, who were obliged to continue their 
journey in the afternoon, and for whom, to give them an 
opportunity of seeing several of their friends in the neigh- 
bouring capital, the councillor, before he slept, arranged a 
large breakfast for the next morning, — of course for gentle- 
men only. Cook and housekeeper had their hands full, and 
servants ran hither and thither noiselessly. 

Kitty passed a sleepless night. The events of the previous 
day, and anxiety on Henriette’s account, banished slumber 
from her eyelids. Sitting for hours at her window, she gazed 
out over the wind-tossed trees of the park, to distinguish, if 
possible, in the waning moonlight and through the falling 
rain, a glimpse of the white weathercock on the roof of the 
house by the stream ; but the low dwelling had vanished, at 
it were, and all was quiet there, although Kitty hourly ex- 
pected that some messenger sent thence would rouse the 
inmates of the villa with evil tidings. 

From the other window she had seen the councillor arrive. 
In a twinkling, as if sprung from the ground, the villa ser- 
vants had ranged themselves about the carriage with their 
lanterns ; the yellow light illumined the white pillars of the 


AT THE COUNCILLOR'S. 


169 


porch, and sparkled and shone on the silver-mounted harness 
and the sleek coats of the horses, — nay, it was even powerful 
enough to bring into relief one or two of the marble figures 
in the shrubbery on the other side of the drive. It all looked 
most aristocratic. The councillor of commerce had sprung 
lightly from the carriage, in his rich, fur-lined travelling cloak, 
every motion of his lithe, youthfully-elastic figure proclaiming 
tlie man of wealth just grown wealthier still, — a gleaming 
comet, to whose sparkling track the glittering stream of gold 
was magnetically attracted. He had conducted his guests to 
their apartments, leaving the house himself, accompanied by 
a couple of lantern-bearing servants, towards two o’clock, to 
seek his rooms in the tower. Then all had gradually grown 
quiet in the villa; but the wind, whistling and shrieking 
about the house, still drove repose from Kitty’s eyes. At 
daybreak, however, she fell asleep, to her great annoyance, 
for it made her late : instead of being in the house by the 
river at six o’clock, as she had intended, it was nine before 
she left the villa. 

The morning was clear and beautiful. The tempest of 
wind had moderated to that soft southern breeze that brings 
upon its wings the fragrance of the first spring flowers, and 
caressingly but persistently seeks to draw the brown veil from 
the soft, shy buds. The birds were twittering upon the roof 
of the doctor’s house, the boughs of the cherry-trees at one 
of its corners were sprinkled with the tender white of the 
opening blossoms, and the young grass could no longer hide 
from the light in the glorious morning sunshine. The former 
bleaching-ground was covered, as it were, with a misty green 
veil. 

As Kitty crossed the bridge the waters were flowing clear 
and sunlit, almost peacefully, beneath its decaying wooden 
arches. Strange ! The waves that last evening had received 
into their depths the rejected ring were fai on their way 
15 


H 


170 


AT THE COUNCILLOR’S. 


towards the distant ocean ; they alone could tell of the treach- 
erous white hands that had burst asunder an oppressive chain. 

The house by the river was pervaded by what seemed 
almost an air of festal solemnity. The red tiled floor of the 
hall was strewn with flne white sand, and there was percep- 
tible a delicate pastille fragrance ; the little table near the 
hall-door was covered with a fresh napkin, and upon it stood 
an antique clay vase filled with evergreens, snowdrops, and 
anemones. The faithful old cook-maid was once more in- 
stalled in her kitchen, with sleeves rolled up and a dazzling 
white apron tied around her waist, her round red cheeks 
shining with good humour and content. And why was the 
dean’s widow thus early in the morning dressed in dark-brown 
silk, with a fine old white lace barbe upon her gray hair, and 
the same delicate material around her neck and wrists ? Kitty’s 
heart sank within her. Was it all in honour of the false love 
who was expected to-day to visit her sick sister ? 

The old lady said not a word with regard to it. She only 
seemed agitated, and in her eyes and in her voice there were 
traces of tears. She greeted Kitty with the joyful intelli- 
gence that the invalid had passed an excellent night, with no 
return of the hemorrhage. 

In gratitude for this good news Kitty kissed the delicate 
hand extended to her, when suddenly the widow, usually so 
reserved, clasped her arms about the girlish figure and pressed 
hor to her heart like a daughter, before leading her into the 
sick-room. 

Henriette was sitting propped up in bed while her maid 
was arranging her abundant hair, the doctor having retired 
to take some rest only an hour previously. The sick girl’s 
long, thin face, in which the cheek-bones stood out promi- 
nently and the large eyes were encircled by dark rings, looked 
almost death-like, and Kitty was shocked at the alteration 
produced in it by the last twenty-four hours, although its ex- 


AT THE COUNCILLOR'S. 


171 


pression was mucli happier. She could not say enough of 
the doctor’s kindness and care, nor of how comfortable and 
content she felt in the dear old room, which she dreaded to 
think of ever leaving. She begged Kitty to return to the villa 
to get a book which she had promised to the widow. Flora 
had borrowed it of her sister and must be asked where it was. 
And then she whispered in Kitty’s ear that Flora and her 
grandmother must not weary her by coming to see her too 
often. She had not the slightest suspicion of the scene that 
had been enacted at her bedside on the previous evening, and 
that by her means the long-threatened storm had broken forth. 

Kitty could hardly bear to meet her eye, and breathed a 
sigh of relief when the invalid concluded by begging her to 
fetch the book as soon as possible, and to bring her several 
articles from her writing-desk, the key of which she handed 
to her. 

In an hour, therefore, the young girl re-entered the villa. 
She was thoroughly possessed by the melancholy impression 
made upon her by Henriette’s whole appearance, — the waxen 
pallor of her face, the sunken features, and the large, brilliant 
eyes. She recoiled as if from a blow when through the open 
door of the conservatory she saw the breakfast-table set out 
with flowers and silver and every costly delicacy that could 
be procured. A thick Turkish carpet covered the entire 
marble floor of the Moorish room. The feet of the guests 
must be made warm enough, and their heads also, to judge by 
I he flasks of choice wine just arrived from the tower cellar. 

Kitty ascended to Henriette’s room and collected all the 
articles the sick girl had asked for, and then she dutifully 
went to bid the Frau President good-morning. As she 
passed along the corridor her light step was unheard in the 
hall below by two of the servants, one of whom had just re- 
ceived a parcel from the letter-carrier. 

“ Good gracious, here is this parcel back again for the third 


172 


AT THE COUNCILLOR'S. 


time !” lie said, fretfully. “ I am tired of the sight of it. 1 
shall have to wrap it up again to-morrow and put a ftesh 
address upon the cover. Our Fraulein must think we have 
precious little to do.” He turned the parcel about irreso- 
lutely. “ The best thing would be to throw it into the 
kitchen fire and ” 

“ What is inside ?” asked the other. 

“ Quantities of paper ; and the Fraulein has written upon 
it herself, in big, sprawling letters, ‘ Woman.’ It may be 

all very fin 3 ” He paused, in terror, and put on a re 

spectful air : Kitty had descended the stairs and passed by 
him to the Frau President’s apartment. 

She was not admitted. The maid came out and informed 
her that her mistress was occupied in receiving an early visit 
from one of the ladies of the court. Therefore Kitty went 
to Flora’s room to get the book Henriette wished for. She 
felt a repugnance to crossing the threshold, her heart beat 
almost audibly from inward agitation, and she was obliged to 
admit to herself that with this sister she had not one single 
spark of sympathy. All the indignation which she had so 
tried to conquer during the night stirred again within her 
and threatened to master her. 

Perhaps Flora experienced similar sensations. She was 
standing in the middle of the room, beside a large table 
covered with books and pamphlets, and looked up with flash- 
ing eyes at the intruder. Ah, no ; her anger was probably 
due to the returned parcel. There it lay, torn open, and its 
beautiful mistress had just scornfully tossed into the waste* 
paper basket the letter that had accompanied it. It was well 
that Fraulein von Giese, the malicious maid of honour, was 
not looking on. Flora’s “ little finger” had apparently made 
a small mistake with regard to the destiny of “ Woman.” 

“ You have just come from Henriette,” Flora said, hastily 
covering the rejected manuscript with the blue paper in which 


AT THE COUNCILLOR'S. 


173 


it had beeu wrapped. “ I hear she is doing very well ; I sent 
over at eight o’clock to inquire. Moritz has no consideration ; 
he sent me a note, written over-night, in consequence of which 
I was obliged to rise early to be dressed in time, as he wished 
d tovt prix to present his guests to grandmamma and me 
before breakfast. As if the fate of the world hung upon this 
presentation ! Grandmamma will not be greatly edified.” 

She looked charming. It has been said that we are all apt 
involuntarily to dress in accordance with the mood of the 
hour. If this be true. Flora’s awakening must have been 
unusually gay and glad, for her whole figure was draped in 
the blue of the summer skies. Even in her light curls there 
was a blue ribbon. 

The dress harmonized but ill, to be sure, with the apart- 
ment, which looked gloomy and chilly to one entering from 
the brilliant sunshine outside, and would have been a more 
fitting background for the figure of some pale, worn scholar 
than it was for this graceful azure fairy. Neither did the 
bright and yet delicate hue suit the lady’s expression of 
countenance, which betokened ill humour and a depression 
not to be concealed. Not a word was said of the occurrences 
of the previous evening. Apparently they were buried and 
forgotten ; even the finger so lately stripped of its ring had 
found indemnification for its loss, and sparkled in the splen- 
dour of diamonds. 

At Kitty’s request. Flora went to a book-shelf and took 
from it the wished-for volume. “ Henriette is not going to 
read herself?” she asked, over her shoulder. 

“ Doctor Bruck would hardly allow it ; his aunt wishes to 
read the book,” Kitty replied, coldly, as she took the volume 
from hei s/ster. 

A snoer hovered upon Flora’s lips, and vexation shone in 
her eyes. She evidently regarded this mention of Bruck’s 
name as great want of tact upon Kitty’s part. 

16 * 


174 


AT THE COUNCILLORS. 


Kitty turned to go. But, as she opened the door, the 
souncillor made his appearance, in a state of great hurry and 
agitation, although he looked quite radiant. 

“ Stay, Kitty !” he exclaimed, gaily, and stretched out his 
arms to bar her way. “ I must convince myself that you are 
well and uninjured.” He led her back into the room, closed 
the door, and threw his hat upon the table. “Now tell me, for 
heaven’s sake, the truth of this harrowing story which Anton 
has been narrating to me as I have been dressing !” he went 
on. “ My people, foolishly enough, said not one word of it all 
to me last night, for fear of spoiling my night’s rest. I have 
strictly forbidden any such ill-judged forbearance for the 
future.” He ran his hands through his hair. “ I am out- 
raged I What will the world think of my want of feeling ? 
Henriette sick in bed, and a formal breakfast arranged for 
this morning ! Tell me the truth of it. They say you were 
attacked by a mob of furies.” 

“ I alone was the object of the attack, Moritz,” said Flora. 
“ Henriette and Kitty suffered only because they were with 
me. I cannot help saying that, to my mind, the principal 
blame in allowing matters to come to such a point is your 
own ; you ought to have taken decided measures at the first 
hint of discontent among these wretches. A man of sufficient 
force of character is always master of such a situation. But 
your perpetual dread of offending and shocking makes you so 
weak ” 

“ Yes, weak enough with you, and with grandmamma,’ 
the councillor, pale with vexation, interrupted her. “ You, 
especially, never rested until I recalled the promise I had 
given my workmen, and so irritated them intensely. Bruck 
is right ” 

“ I beg you spare me there !” Flora angrily exclaimed 
“ If you have no other authority upon whom to rely ” 

The councillor approached her and looked into her eyes 


AT THE GOUNOILLOHS. 


175 


with amazement in his own. “What, Flora, still so hos- 
tile?” 

“ Do you imagine me so deplorably weak that I can assume 
and lay aside my views as one puts on and takes off a gar- 
ment?” she asked, in reply, 

“No, not that; but are you not rash thus to defy our 
whole cultivated society?” 

“ What is society to me ?” She laughed aloud. “‘Our whole 
cultivated society I’ ” she repeated. “ Will you tell me how 
you can possibly find any connection between it and your poor 
failure of a protege?” 

The councillor shook his head, and took her hand in his 
he was almost speechless with surprise. “Why, is it — can 
it be possible ? Do you not know ” 

“ Grood heavens ! what is there to know ?” she interrupted 
him, with an impatient frown, and a slight stamp of her small 
foot. 

At this moment the door opened, and the Frau President 
entered. She was simply dressed in violet silk. It might have 
been that the colour made her face look shrunken and sallow, 
or perhaps she had had a restless night as the result of her 
yesterday’s agitation, — she certainly looked haggard and old. 

The councillor hurried towards her and kissed her hand 
respectfully, reminding her that he had been desirous of paying 
his respects to her half an hour before, but had been informed 
that she had not yet left her sleeping-apartment, where she 
was receiving a visit from Fraulein von Berneck, one of the 
court ladies. 

“ Yes, the good creature came to express her sympathy for 
Henriette’s illness and the shameful attack made upon Flora,” 
she said. “We shall have a most trying day to-day: the 
whole town is ringing with what has occurred, and our friends 
are indignant ; they will all be here to inquire for us.” 

She sank wearily into an arm-chair; her voice trembled, 


176 


AT THE COUNCILLOR’S. 


and all the elasticity which usually triumphed so victorious!} 
over her years seemed gone. “ Fraulein von lierneck had 
another reason, and a principal one, be sure, for coming,” she 
began again. “ I know her well : she is one of those who 
long to be the first to tell a piece of good news, and is quite 
careless as to whether it may still be a court-secret or not. 
She came to tell me privately of the good fortune that has 
befallen our family.” She rose and clasped her hands. “ And 
yet what a terrible dilemma for me ! I cannot tell absolutely 
whether to mourn or to rejoice. It certainly is most distress- 
ing that at court, where the best example ought to be set, the 
old proverbial ingratitude should be shown. What sacrifices 
Bar has made for the royal family ! And suddenly he is set 
aside as if the faithful old man were not in existence. And 
so full of vigour as he is, in body and mind, — they are going 
to pension him !” 

“ And this is old Von Berneck’s good news?” Flora asked, 
indignantly. 

“ Of course not!” the Frau President replied, emphasizing 
her words strongly. “ Flora, the strangest things are happen- 
ing every day. Could you have thought it possible an hour 
ago that Bruck should be Hofrath and physician to the royal 
household ?” 

“ Nonsensical court-gossip ! What will not idle brains cot- 
trive 1” laughed Flora. “ Hofrath and court-physician 1 And 
you listened to such ridiculous stuff", grandmamma, and were 
congratulated upon it ?” And she broke again into a ringing 
laugh. 

“ Do you really live so far here from the civilized world 
that you read no newspapers?” exclaimed the councillor. 
“ Do you actually know nothing — positively nothing — of all 
that has occurred, and that concerns us so nearly ? Why, I 
have returned a day earlier on this very account. I could 
not rest for joy. All the papers are full of the wonderfu 


AT THE COUNCILLOR'S. 


177 


skill Bruck has shown in L g : it is the topic of the day 

in Berlin society. The Crown-Prince of R , who is study- 

ing in L — — g, had a fall from his horse, and his head was so 
seriously and dangerously injured that no surgeon could be 
found willing to undertake the only operation that could save 
his life : even the famous Professor H refused to operate. 

. But he remembered that Bruck had treated successfully i 
similar case in his last campaign, to every one’s astonishment 
So he instantly summoned him by telegraph ” 

“ And you imagine this to have been ^our Bruck, your 
proteg4?” Flora interrupted him. She tried to smile, but 
her ashy lips, as well as her whole pale, mocking face, seemed 
paralyzed to marble. 

“ It certainly was my Bruck, as I am proud to call him,” 
the councillor replied, with evident satisfaction. He was re- 
joiced indeed at this fortunate turn of affairs. True, he had 
long ceased to have any scruples with regard to his silence in 
a certain matter; the manner of the miller’s death no longer 
troubled his repose, — for he was a genuine child of the times^ 
an egotist, who, when the choice was to be made between 
“ another” and “ self,” was never for a moment in doubt that 
“self” was to be preferred. “ And, besides this, a pamphlet 
he has just published has made an immense sensation in 
medical circles,” he continued. “ They say he has made a 
surgical discovery of great importance to the profession. Oh, 
there is no denying it, — a brilliant career awaits Bruck.” 

“ Impossible !” Flora said, in a strangely altered tone. She 
looked like a player who stakes his last guinea upon one card. 
“ I am not to be imposed upon ! Either there is some mistake 
here as to the name, or — the whole story is a fabrication.” 

At this obstinate and unjustifiable incredulity the council 
lor fairly forgot the courteous forbearance and self-control he 
was wont to exercise in his intercourse with the ladies of 
household. He stamped his foot angrily and turned awaT 
M 


178 


AT THE COUNCILLOR'S. 


The Frau President stood by the table, her white, wrinkled 
fingers playing nervously upon its surface, her eyes fixed 
anxiously upon her grandchild. She entirely understood 
what she must feel upon hearing thus extolled the man whom 
she had so shamefully depreciated and slandered. It was a 
lamentable defeat ; but these were moments in which a true 
woman of the world was bound to assert her supremacy. 

“ You cannot help yourself. Flora,” she said, calmly ; “ you 
will have to believe it at last. For my part, strange as it 

is, I doubt no longer. The Duke of D is uncle on the 

mother’s side to the crown-prince ; of course he is rejoiced 
at his nephew’s recovery, for yesterday evening I saw the 

order of the D royal household lying upon Bruck’s 

writing-table.” 

“ And you tell me this now for the first time, grand- 
mamma?” Flora almost screamed. “Why was I not told 
yesterday ? Why have you kept it from me ?” 

“ Kept it from you ?” the Frau President repeated, so in- 
dignantly that her head shook with the tremulousness that 
frequently attacks the old when angry. “ Wha-t impertinence ! 
What, I should like to know, could induce me to keep such a 
matter to myself, except the fact that during the last few 
months you have resented the mention of Bruck’s name ir 
your presence? I have certainly avoided it ” 

“ Because my views on the subject were quite in accordance 
with your own, chere grand’mere.” 

“ Not at all ; but because my whole soul revolts at outbuiste 
of passion. You have been his bitterest opponent ; you have 
judged him more harshly than the severest of his colleagues : 
the slightest attempt to excuse him always provoked a scene. 
Poor Henriette and Moritz can tell a tale upon that subject. 
And have you not this very moment shown how any favour- 
able intelligence with regard to him is received by you?” 
She must hav ^ been agitated indp>»d «o far to forget hei 


AT THE COUNCILLOR'S. 


179 


almost invariable rule of silence upon disagreeable topics as 
thus to pass in review before others Flora’s misconduct. 

Flora was silent. She stood at the window, her back 
turned to the rest, but her gasping breath showed the strug- 
gle through which she was passing. 

“ And, besides, tell me when I could have told you,” the 
Frau President continued. “ Hardly yesterday, when ycu 
scarcely showed yourself in the drawing-room, after you came 
home, to say ‘ good-evening’ either to me or to my guests. 
Neither was there any time to tell you while we were never 
alone at the doctor’s, when the meagre comforts of his home 
had put you into such an ill humour.” 

“They were a source of annoyance to you, my dear grand- 
mother, you will please to remember. You are mistaken as 
regards myself.” 

Kitty opened wide her honest brown eyes at this audacious 
denial ; the anathema hurled yesterday against the “ dreary 
old barn” still rang in her ears. 

“ There is no reasoning with you. I know you well. With 
all your boasted love of honesty and straightforwardness, 
you are ready to hide behind a falsehood as soon as it suits 
you to do so 1” the Frau President, by this time thoroughly 
angry, declared, and, as she moved her hand upon the table, 
she pushed aside the bundle of manuscript lying there. The 
cover again fell off, revealing the “ big, sprawling letters” of 
the title. 

“ Ah, is this liere again upon its zigzag journey through 
the world?” she asked, pointing to the papers. Her tone 
showed how malicious she, the advocate of moderation in 
all things, could be. “I should think you might at last 
allow it its natural rest in the waste-paper basket. This per- 
petual offering of it for publication, with the consequent re- 
peated rejection of it by the publishers, is, since you are so 
nearly connected with me, becoming unendurable. I should 


180 


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like to know how you would bear it if one of us should even 
hint a doubt of your ‘ great intellectual capacity and yet it 
comes to you from others every four or five weeks, put down 
in black and white ” 

“ Do not chafe yourself needlessly, grandmamma. You, as 
well as certain other people, may easily be mistaken,” Flora 
interrupted her, glancing the while angrily towards her young 
sister. Had not the chit heard a like unfavourable judgment 
passed upon her mental powers on the previous day ? “You 
are out of sorts, because you have lost in Yon Bar a good 
friend at court, — and indeed I cannot but sympathize with 
you, for Bruck will hardly understand how to further your 
small interests there, even for my sake. It is hard for you, 
very hard, and yet I cannot see why I should be your victim. 
I will ask permission to withdraw until the household skies 
are again clear.” She gathered together her papers, and 
vanished, like a blue cloud, behind the door leading to her 
dressing-room. 

“ She is so very eccentric,” the Frau President said, with 
a sigh. “ There is nothing in her of her mother, who was all 
gentleness and docility. Mangold did very wrong in placing 
her at the head of his household while she was so young. 
I did all I could to prevent it, but I might as well have talked 
to the wind. You know well enough, Moritz, how obstinate 
Mangold could be.” 

Kitty went towards the door to leave the room. It was 
undeniable that Flora’s early release from all authority had 
been an injury to her, but the young girl could not stay and 
hear her dead father so blamed for — refusing, for excellent 
reasons, to allow his mother-in-law to take the lead in his 
household. 

The councillor followed her and took her hand. “ You are 
BO pale, Kitty, so grave and quiet,” he said. “lam afraid you 
are still suffering from the effects of the events of yesterday 


AT THE COUNCILLORS. 


181 


my poor child.” It was not said at all in the tone of an 
elderly guardian. 

“ Kitty has been pale and silent for some days now,” the 
Frau President hastily remarked, “ I know what is the 
matter with her : she is homesick. You need not wonder at 
it, my dear Moritz. Kitty is used to the quiet life of the 
middle classes ; they make an idol of her in Dresden ; every- 
thing in the modest household revolves about the wealthy 
foster-child. With the best will on our part, that cannot be 
so here. We live too much in the world ; all our social cus- 
toms, the elements of our society, are so different, that she 
must necessarily feel oppressed and uncomfortable with us.*' 
She approached the young girl and gently stroked her cheek. 
“ Am I not right, my child ?” 

“ I am sorry to be forced to say ‘ no,’ Frau President,” 
Kitty replied, firmly, and, as she spoke, she drew back her 
head, evidently in protest against further caresses. “I am 
not made an idol of ; everything in the household does not 
revolve about the heiress.” She laughed archly. “ The poor 
heiress has more than ever expected of her, and her errors 
u,nd less indulgence than they did before she was rich. And 
the distinguished elements of your social circle are by no 
means so foreign to me as you suppose. The Prime-Minister 
Von B is a near friend of my foster-parents. Our draw- 

ing-room is, it is true, too small to accommodate card-tables, 
but it is a rendezvous for eminent literary men, and is often 
sought by musical celebrities, when, I assure you, my poor 
little cottage piano does good service.” And again a charming 
and merry smile hovered upon her lips, — not, however, devoid 
of sarcasm : there was, indeed, an antagonistic vein in her 
composition. 

“ Thank God, my temperament is such as not to allow of 
my being homesick wherever I know that I am of use,” she 
said, turning to the councillor. “ So do not be afraid, Moritz, 

16 


182 


AT THE COUNCILLORS. 


but rather give me leave to remain here for an indefinite 
length of time — for Henriette’s sake.” 

“ Good heaven, I have no more earnest desire than to keep 
you here 1” he exclaimed, with an eagerness that struck even 
Kitty as strange. 

I'he Frau President was again standing by the table, turn- 
ing over the leaves of a book, at which she was looking so 
earnestly that she seemed to have neither eyes nor ears for 
aught else. “ Of course, my dear Kitty,” she said, indiffer- 
ently, “ you will remain here as long as you are content to do 
so ; only your stay must not partake in the smallest degree of 
the character of self-sacrifice, — that we must most decidedly 
prohibit. Nanni is an excellent nurse, and my maid is ready 
to assist her if necessary. You can leave your dear invalid 
without anxiety.” 

“ Let the motive be what it may, dearest grandmamma, it 
suffices that Kitty wishes to stay with us,” the councillor 
eagerly interposed. He could not turn his eyes away from the 
young girl, who stood entirely unmoved by the words either 
of the Frau President or of her guardian. “ Why, in the 
joyful hope that you would stay with us, I ordered the new 

grand piano ” He broke off to breathe an ecstatic kiss 

upon the closed thumb and forefinger of his right hand. 
“ Kitty, you have an instrument now in comparison with 
which the one in the music-room is a mere spinnet. T 
ordered it, I say, sent directly here.” 

Oh, Moritz, that is not what T meant !” cried the young girl, 
thoughtlessly, with a look of actual terror in her eyes. “ God 
forbid 1 Dresden is and always must be my home, and Villa 
Baumgarten only a temporary abode.” She laughed merrily. 
“ A grand piano would be a clumsy piece of luggage to carry 
about with me.” 

“I venture to predict that you will entertain another 
opinion with regard to Dresden one of these days,” he re 


AT THE COUNCILLOR'^. 


183 


joined, with a meaning smile. “ The grand piano will be 
here to-morrow, and will be placed for the present in your 
room.” 

The Frau President closed her book and rested her small 
white hand upon the cover. “ You have made other arrange- 
ments than those we agreed upon,” she said, with apparent 
somposure. “ They embarrass me somewhat, but I willingly 
comply with them. I will write to Baroness Steiner to-day 
and postpone the visit she was to pay us during the month of 
May.” 

“ But I cannot see why ” 

“ Because we cannot accommodate her, my dear Moritz. Her 
companion, who comes with her, was to have Kitty’s room.” 

The councillor shrugged his shoulders. “ I am very sorry, 
then. Of course my ward must stay where she is.” 

He opposed her ! He dared to look calmly into the irri- 
tated old lady’s angry eyes and think it quite natural that the 
Frau Baroness von Steiner should give place to Kitty, — he 
who once would have moved heaven and earth, who thought 
no sacrifice too great, if thereby he might tempt any person 
of distinction to be his guest ! The thin coating of social var- 
nish which his intercourse with refined society had given him 
had suddenly been rubbed olf, exposing the coarse, common 
nature of the parvenu. True, he now possessed rank, and was 
wealthier than most others of his present station, — he had just 
reaped another golden harvest, — he could plant himself defi- 
antly upon his money-bags, and — this he was doing. 

The old lady bit her lip. “ I will write immediately,” she 
said, and gathered up her train to go. “ The situation in 
which I find myself placed, from no fault of my own, is 
scarcely an enviable one, I must say,” she said, in a tone of 
some bitterness, elevating her eyebrows and speaking over 
her shoulder. 

“ And all on my account !” Kitty exclaimed, approaching, 


184 


AT THE COUNCILLOR'S. 


and extending her hand to detain the Frau President. 
“ Moritz, you cannot mean that I, young girl as I am, should 
exclude any friend of the Frau President’s. It cannot be. 
Have I not my own home in the mill ? I shall take up my 
abode there when Frau von Steiner arrives.” 

“ That you certainly will not, my dear Kitty ; I decidedly 
protest against that,” the Frau President rejoined, coldly but 
firmly, and all the haughty arrogance of her nature shone in 
her eyes. “ Your mother never had any unkindness upon 
my part to complain of ; but this intimate association of the 
villa and the mill is repugnant to my very soul, and least of all 
would I expose such a connection to the severely critical eye 
of my refined and aristocratic friend.” She stiffly inclined 
her head. “ I shall be in the blue drawing-room, Moritz, in 
case you wish to present your guests.” And she left the 
room. 

The councillor waited with a scornful air until the rustle 
of her silken robes had died away and the door of the music- 
room had closed audibly, and then he indulged in a low 
chuckling laugh. 

“ You have had your lesson, Kitty,” he said. “ There is 
no doubt that the velvet paws conceal sharp claws. Yes, yes, 
the old cat knows how to scratch. I myself could show scars 
enough. But, thank Heaven, her turn has come ! She must 
endure what she most abhors ; she is no longer dangerous. 
With Von Bar pensioned, her influence at court and in 
society is destroyed.” He rubbed his hands in smiling satis- 
faction. “ Not a hair’s-breadth shall you stir, my dear child ; 
you have a better right in my house than all the rest of them, 
— remember that!” 

He was interrupted. A servant entering announced that 
the guests awaited their host. Moritz hastily seized his hat, 
and would have given Kitty his arm, but she slipped past 
him into the corridor. This transformed guardian, with his 


AT THE COUNCILLOR'S. 


185 


bewildering tenderness of voice and manner, pleased her not 
at all ; his cold, business-like letters had been much more to 
her taste. What a strange change there was in him ! In- 
voluntarily she thought of her recent reception in this house ; 
she seemed still to hear the anxious whisper in which the 
councillor had reminded her of the respect she owed to the 
Frau President ; and here he was. sneering at her behind lier 
back, and beginning to set bounds to her power, hitherto so 
unquestioned beneath his roof. All this terrified the young 
girl ; it was inexplicable, and as uncomfortable as the close 
crimson room, with its musty odour of books and papers 
upon which she now turned her back to return to the hous« 
by the river. 


CHAPTER XV. 

By the afternoon of this day the sick-room in the doctor's 
house looked precisely as it had done when the invalid had 
first been carried into it forty-eight hours before. At her 
earnest entreaty, the doctor had banished thence the elegant 
intruders from the villa. Outside, in the wide hall, upon the 
rough tiled floor, stood ranged against the wall the apple-green 
arm-chairs and the elegant screen, while about the simple 
earthen vase containing the spring bouquet stood the gilt 
porcelain toilet service. The stoneware was again advanced 
to honour, and the old-fashioned cushioned chairs, with their 
black serge covers, were in their former places. The little 
fountain shot up its tiny spray from a circle of plants growing 
in earthen pots, and upon a table stood the large cage in 
which were Henriette’s canary-birds, brought hither by the 
wish of the sick girl. The pretty little golden creatures 
16 * 


186 


AT THE COUNCILLORS. 


fluttered in and out, perfectly at home, flying around the 
bed, eating sugar from their mistress’s waxen hand, and 
swinging in the hanging-baskets of vines suspended in the 
windows. 

Nanni, the maid, had been sent to the villa to rest about 
noon, and the dean’s widow had taken upon her the charge 
of the invalid for the day. The old lady was still in the 
brown silk dress, over which she had tied a large white linen 
apron to deaden the rustle of the silk. 

Henriette already knew of the change that had taken place. 
Her maid had told her how a gentleman from court had been 
received in the hall by the doctor’s aunt and conducted by 
her into the doctor’s study, — a gentleman from the court with 
Bruck, who had so lately been only dispensary physician I 
This, in addition to the festal attire of the dean’s widow and 
her joyful face, had excited Henriette’s curiosity ; she grew 
restless, and never ceased asking and conjecturing until the 
doctor sat down by her bedside and in his simple, quiet way 
informed her of what had occurred. This he had done while 
Kitty, in Flora’s room, was a witness of the scene occasioned 
by the nearly simultaneous announcement by Fraulein von 
Berneck and the councillor of their startling news. 

In the afternoon Kitty sat at Henriette’s bedside. The 
doctor had been summoned to an audience with the prince, 
and his aunt was absent to arrange some household matters ; 
the two sisters were alone for the first time. Henriette’s face 
fairly shone with the happiness she dared not speak in words : 
rest and silence had been prescribed for her. The doctor had 
strictly forbidden her to indulge again in the fervent expres- 
sions of delight which she had terrified him by uttering when 
he first told her all she asked to know. She obeyed him like 
a child, and had asked of him or of his aunt no further ques- 
tion ; but now when his eye was no longer upon her, when 
the door had closed behind the careful old lady, she suddenly 


AT THE COUNCILLOR'S. 187 

raised herself up amoug the pillows, and asked, in a hurried, 
eager whisper, “ Where is Flora ?” 

“You know your grandmamma sends over every hour to 
tell you how she longs to be here, but that the visits of sym- 
pathy she is obliged to receive to-day have given he* no 
chance to leave the villa.” 

“Oh, grandmamma!” the invalid repeated, peevishly, with 
an impatient movement of her head. “ I am not asking for 
her; I am speaking of Flora.” She clasped her hands and 
lifted them above her head. “Oh, Kitty, what a brilliant 
justification of Bruck this is ! Thank God, I have lived to 
see it I If only he is not tempted to stop at the villa on his 
way home from the palace 1 Flora must meet him again for 
the first time here, — here by my bedside. I long to see her 
in the dust before him 1” 

“ Do not excite yourself, Henriette,” Kitty entreated, in a 
trembling voice. 

“ Oh, let me speak 1” she rejoined, hurriedly. “ If Bruck 
only knew how he tortures me with his injunction of silence j 
My stified emotion almost chokes me. I feel as I did yester- 
day before I lost consciousness.” She propped herself on her 
elbow and buried her hand in the masses of fair hair from 
which she had tossed away the muslin cap. “ Do you re- 
member how contemptuously Flora alluded to this journey 
from which he has returned so famous, calling it a ‘ pleasure- 
trip’ ? ” she asked, looking up at her sister, with eyes gleaming 
with scorn and anger, while her voice fell into the same tone 
in which she had uttered the delirious fancies of the previous 
day, which had been the cause of such a terrible struggle. 
Kitty shuddered. “ Do you remember how she sneered and 
laughed when Moritz came so near the truth in surmising that 

the doctor had been called to some patient in L g ? No : 

although she should entreat his pardon on her knees, she 
can hardly atone for such wicked folly, such unexampled 


188 


AT THE COUNCILLOR'S. 


arrogance. 1 should like to have one lock now into the 
depths of her soul. Such a crushing mortification ! She 
will scarcely be able- to lift her eyes to him or to us when she 
first sees him.” 

Kitty had folded her hands in her lap, and her eyelashes 
drooped above her cheeks as if she were the guilty one. Her 
poor, passionately-moved sister had no idea that this first 
meeting never would take place, that Flora’s foot would never 
more enter the “ dreary barn.” Neither she- nor the rest 
knew that the false love had freed herself by a violent effort, 
that the symbol of the tie that had bound her — the “ simple” 
golden circlet — ^lay in the depths of the river beneath the 
bridge, if the waves had not borne it far away. 

“ Do say something, Kitty,” Henriette complained. “You 
must be cold-blooded indeed to be so calm in the midst of all 
this. It is true, you have had no chance to become inti- 
mately acquainted with the circumstances, and consequently 
you may not be able to view matters from a correct point of 
view. Bruck, for example, can scarcely interest you, — ^you 
see him too seldom, and have certainly not spoken ten words 
to him; but you have been a witness of Flora’s detestable 
manoeuvres; you have heard the most heartless expressions 
from her lips. I should suppose that the sense of justice 
inherent in every healthy nature might inspire you with a 
desire, a thirst, to see the offender punished.” 

Kitty looked up with a strange gleam in her eyes. Cer- 
tainly the blood was not cold that suddenly dyed crimson her 
forehead and cheeks, and even the round, snowy throat : it 
was so stirred that for one moment she forgot that she was 
sitting by an invalid’s bedside, and that it was her duty as a 
conscientious nurse not to allow even the mention of any 
exciting subject. “And what then?” she asked, eigerly. 
“ What if Flora should acknowledge with shame how wrong 
she has been ? Could it really matter much to a man so in* 


AT THE COUNCILLOR'S. 


189 


Eulted, so outraged ? As you yourself say, Flora has openly 
testified her dislike of him. If he were made a prince, it 
could not transform this dislike to affection.” 

“Yes, it would do so instantly in a nature as vain and 
ambitious as Flora’s,” Henriette replied, in a tone of bitter 
scorn. “And Bruck? You will see how at her first ad- 
vance he will ignore the past as if it had never been.” She 
leaned back and closed her eyes for a moment. “ Yes, yes ; 
love is such a profound mystery I’,’ she continued, in a half- 
whisper, to herself. “And he loves her still; how else 
explain his patient submission and long-suffering?” She 
opened her eyes, and there shone in their unearthly brilliancy 
a mixture of pain and irony. “ Even although a demon 
looked at him from her eyes, and she should strike him with 
her hands, he would love her still, and kiss the hand raised 
against him.” There was a heart-breaking smile upon the 
emaciated face, which she turned and buried in the pillow. 
After a short pause, she said, with firmness, “ The change 
in her will make him happy, and therefore we, on our part, 
must do all we can to obliterate the memory of these last 
few miserable months.” 

Kitty said not a word. The sick girl was awaiting with 
intense impatience the moment that should see the man 
whom she idolized as her physician happy once more. How 
if Flora did not come, — if Henriette should learn at last that 
the false love had put an end, with her own hand, to what she 
said had been a long torture to her ? “ Then you will nevei 

mention our names again,” Henriette had wailed to Bruck in 
her delirium of the previous day. The chaos of yesterday 
still reigned in Kitty’s mind. Her conception of moral law 
was distinct and clear ; she was still inexperienced enough to 
believe that rewards and punishments are just consequences 
of individual action ; and here, in this strangely perverted 
world, sh3 found it was eagerly desired that falsehood, treach- 


190 


AT THE COUNCILLOR'S. 


ery, and a systematic denial of duty should not only go unpun 
ished, but should even be rewarded by rare good fortune. All 
pains were taken to breathe no syllable of the wrong done ; 
the criminal must be petted, and thanked most humbly for a 
conversion which, if it really should occur, would not be the 
result of repentance, but the effect of a change of outward 
circumstances. And he whom she had so trampled beneath 
her feet, — would he take her instantly to his heart again if 
she condescended to return? Of course; he had never re- 
leased her, even when she told him that she hated him, And 
Kitty glowed with indignation at the thought of the pitiable 
weakness which could induce a man to play so unmanly a 
part. She would have liked to drown in a passion of tears 
this knowledge which for a moment darkened all life, even 
the glorious sunny world of nature ; but she suppressed all 
expression of the strange, sharp pain, and sat still, apparently 
more “ cold-blooded ” than ever. Weep ? What was the whole 
miserable story to her ? She had nothing to do with it, and 
nothing further to think about it, except with regard to some 
wedding-present for her sister, some costly piece of embroid- 
ery, which she must begin immediately if the marriage were 
to take place at Whitsuntide. 

The dean’s widow came in to lay a branch of budding 
syringa upon the invalid’s coverlet as a greeting from the 
golden spring that was flinging abroad all sweet odours and 
the songs of birds upon its health-giving breezes. She insisted 
upon resuming her place by the bed, declaring that Kitty was 
not needed there at present, but must go out into the garden 
and breathe the fresh, sunny air; she surely needed it, for 
her face still showed traces of yesterday’s agitation. 

The young girl left the room. Yes, air and sunshine had 
always proved her good friends, bringing the delicious con- 
sciousness of youthful vigour, clearing her moral perceptions, 
and dispelling all morbid sensations. And the dean’s widow 


AT THE COUNCILLORS. 


191 


right : the world was all May, the promise of the year 
w^s everywhere, and the mild air saturated with sunshine 
breathed health into mind and body. Kitty went out of the 
house-door and stood upon the steps, inhaling the fresh breeze 
as she involuntarily extended her round, firmly-moulded arms 
Then, descending into the garden, she looked beyond the 
low picket-fence into the blue distance, beyond the meadows, 
beyond the river rolling through them, beyond the cottage- 
roofs and the church-spire. Oh, mysterious human heart, that 
in presence of all this glory was still so sad and cast down ! 

From the low wood-shed at the bottom of the garden came a 
constant, melodious twitter, and from beneath the eaves darted 
small, feathered creatures^ their backs shining with a steely 
lustre, their throats rusty brown. The first swallows had come. 
Those eaves had been their nest for years. How often, as a 
child, had Kitty, lying in the grass, watched their outcomings 
and ingoings ! but then their chatter had sounded lonely and 
sad in her ears, accompanied by the monotonous murmur of 
the water, the only other sound that broke the desolate silence 
reigning about the deserted house, unless upon autumn days, 
when the ripe fruit would now and then fall with a soft thud 
upon the sod. Now spoiled petted birds were trilling their 
songs from the open windows ; the smoke from the chimney 
soared aloft, and spread a thin, sun-gilded veil above the 
meadow ; beside the shed stood the kennel, and the cross, 
bristly house-dog tore at his chain and snapped at a pretty 
little light-brown hen that boldly ventured near him to get 
a few scattered grains of wheat. The housemaid had brought 
from her village house a cock and some hens, at the widow’s 
requesi. Yes, everything must revive the memory of the 
country parsonage of long ago. 

Kitty chased the cackling hen away from the cross, growl- 
ing dog, and wandered slowly about beneath the fruit-trees 
The dry, dead grass of the old year was here and there dashed 


192 


AT THE COUNCILLORS 


with that blue which calls up a gleam of pleasure into the 
saddest eyes : the first violets were blossoming, and the tail, 
shapely girl bent as eagerly to pluck them as had the little 
“ miller’s mouse” years ago. How strange it seemed to her 
that only a few weeks before, as her grandfather’s heiress, she 
had been mistress here ! The sum which the doctor had paid 
for this little homestead belonged to her, — the honest, careful 
savings thrown in with the hoarded wealth of the grasping 
corn-dealer. She started, and involuntarily dropped the violets 
she had plucked. The same keen sensation of disgrace and 
humiliation which she had experienced yesterday in the midst 
of those furious women again assailed her. At the first shock 
she had protested against the terrible accusation ; but now, 
whenever she called up in her memory her grandfather’s 
coarse, hard face, she could not but admit to herself that he 
might have said the cruel words al out the “ starving mice,” 
and in positive pain she clenched her hands. She knew well 
that on her mother’s side she was sprung from the lowest 
class of society ; she had never dreamed of wishing it other- 
wise, — she had rather gratefully acknowledged the splendid 
gift of perfect health and vigour bequeathed to her by her 
grandmother, whose stalwart arm had wielded the axe in the 
bracing woodland air; but the coarseness and brutality with 
which the former mill-servant had treated the poor in his 
pursuit of wealth disgusted and sickened her, and she could not 
bear to think of the iron safe with its hoarded treasures. 

Without knowing it, her walk towards the river quickened 
almost to a run. Just where the hawthorn hedge bounding the 
little garden ran for a short distance along the river-bank, glit- 
tered some scattered splinters of white glass, the fragments of 
the little vessel from which she had on the previous evening 
drunk the soothing mixture. The maid had carelessly thrown 
them where the water might perhaps carry them away. A 
sharp pang shot through Kitty’s heart, and tears rushed to her 


AT THE COUNCILLOR'S, 


193 


e^ es, as slie thought of that scene in the doctor’s house. How 
far she had been carried by her impulsiveness ! Although the 
refined, reserved man had instantly spoken soothing words of 
excuse for her rashness, he must inwardly have smiled in scorn 
of the strong, healthy girl whose brain could be so filled with 
sickly sentimental fancies. Never again would she be so 
misled by her weakly sympathetic nature ! No ; she would 
rather pass for cruel, hard, — ^yes, even shrewish. And the 
doctor should never have cause to laugh at her again, — ah, 
he would soon have no opportunity to do so. In a little 
while Henriette would be removed to the villa ; all connection 
between it and the house by the river would be at an end ; 
the doctor would not even mention the names of the inmates 
of Villa Baumgarten. After what had occurred yesterday 
e ening, — that scene of which she had been the sole witness, 
— Flora’s return was impossible, however firmly Doctor Bruck 
might insist upon his rights ; this very day must convince 
him. All must be at an end between himself and Flora, if she 
kep away. ( r would he fulfil Henriette’s fears? — would 
he be unable to repress the desire, upon his return from the 
interview with the prince, to tell Flora himself of the change 
in his affairs ? If he did stop at the villa, the diamonds upon 
the finger where he had placed the betrothal ring would tell 
him instantly, and far more plainly than in words, what he 
had to expect. 

Suddenly Kitty ran back from the river-bank to the garden ; 
a terrible noise, that might possibly disturb Henriette, was 
heard from the direction of the wood-shed : the chickens were 
flying screaming and cackling in till directions, and the dog, 
with loosened chain dragging after him, was making straight 
for the unfortunate yellow hen that had previously aroused his 
ire. Kitty ran to the rescue ; she seized him by the collar 
just as he had torn a mouthful of feathers out of the tail of 
his unhappy victim. 

N 


17 


194 


AT THE COUNCILLOR'S. 


She laughed like a child at the rumpled hen running with 
a querulous cackle into the wood-shed, and dragged the dog 
back to his kennel. The unruly beast tugged and resisted, 
snapping at the strong, girlish hand that was firmly leading 
him back to captivity. 

This struggle for mastery might well have looked dangerous 
to a spectator, for the dog was vicious, savage, and large, of a 
strong, muscular build, and the tawny stripes on his back and 
sides gave him a tiger-like appearance ; but he struggled and 
writhed in vain. With her left hand Kitty fastened the chain 
again into the iron ring in the side of the kennel, and then, 
suddenly releasing the animal, gave a backward spring ; the 
brute rushed after her, but only succeeded in tearing off a 
piece of the hem of her dress. 

“ You villain !” she said, shaking her finger at him, and 
then picking up her skirt to examine the injury it had sus- 
tained. She heard hasty steps approaching from the bridge, 
and knew that it was the doctor returning from town, but she 
did not look up. She hoped he would go into the house 
without observing her. Perhaps he was coming from the 
villa in most melancholy mood. He had been so quiet and 
silent to-day, it almost seemed to her that with the gentle, 
lingering “ Grood-night ! good-night !” of the previous evening 
he had meant to mark a boundary between his former and his 
present life. 

He did not go into the house, however, but came directly 
towards Kitty, raising his cane at the growling, barking dog, 
who, thus threatened, became silent, and lay down at the door 
of his kennel. The doctor took a stone and hammered the 
link of the chain farther upon the hook. “ I shall have to 
get rid of this brute : he is too savage and unmanageable,” 
he said, as he threw away the stone. “ His capacity as a 
watch-dog is not worth the terror he occasions. You, it is 
true, seemed to have small fear of him ; I am afraid that in 


AT THE COUNCILLOR'S. 


195 


your consciousness of strength you might be easily led into 
rashness.” This he said in a grave, almost reproachful tone ; 
he had probably been a witness of the scene that had just 
occurred as he approached on the opposite side of the river. 

She laughed. “ Indeed you are wrong 1 I have as much 
capacity of terror as other girls,” she replied, bravely. “ Strange 
dogs, in particular, are my aversion, and I get out of their way 
whenever I can. But in critical situations there is no help 
for it ; one must not give way to weakness ; so I shut my 
teeth tight and take hold, and I suppose it looks very brave.” 

The doctor was following with his eyes a swallow flying 
away from the wood-shed, and he too now smiled, but with- 
out looking at Kitty. To her this smile seemed one of incre- 
dulity ; he probably thought her boasting of her heroism, and 
unfemininely proud of her strength, — when nothing could be 
more foreign to her taste or to the truth. 

“You doubt it?” she asked, with a giance that was only 
half merry. “ Let me tell you that not until very lately did 
the heroine before you learn to rise superior to the dread of 
ghosts in the dark.” An arch smile played about her lips and 
deepened the dimples in her cheeks. “ You must know that 
the castle mill swarms with gnomes and fairies; its princely 
founder sometimes sees flt to descend from his worm-eaten 
frame to inspect the bags of grain himself ; and there are not 
wanting the ghosts of dishonest millers who gave short meas- 
ure during their lives. You may be sure that Susie never 
kept one such incontestable fact from my youthful ears ; and I 
believed them all as flrmly as if I had been brought up in a 
Thuringian spinning-room. Not a word of this ‘fearful joy’ 
could I utter to my father or my dear Lukas, — Susie would 
have been scolded, and I should have been ashamed; so I 
resigned myself to go when it was required of me from garret 
to cellar in black darkness, and to conquer my fears, although 
my teeth chattered as if from an ague-fit.” 


196 


AT THE COUNCILLOR'S. 


“ Then you were early accustomed to make heavy drafts 
upon your power of self-control. How, then, did it happen 
that you were so ready to ascribe to a man an act of cowardice 
and weakness ?” 

She crimsoned. “ You forgave me that yesterday,” she 
said, evidently hurt, and yet not without self-assertion, as she 
stroked a stray lock of hair from her brow in hopes of thus 
concealing her blushes. 

He shook his head. “ You should not use that expression, 
after my assurance that you had done nothing to displease 
me,” he rejoined, involuntarily lowering his voice, as if touch- 
ing upon some matter known only to her and himself, the 
knowledge of which the rest of the world was not to share. 
“ I only meant to say that I cannot imagine from what source 
your yesterday’s conjecture sprang.” 

Kitty glanced towards the house ; once more she looked 
rosy, lovely, and fresh as an apple-blossom ; her head, with 
its crown of braids, seemed almost too young for her Juno- 
like figure. She pointed to the window of the corner room. 
“ In old times a noble lady lived there ” 

“Ah, the romantic story told, too, in many a peasant’s 
spinning-room !” he interrupted her. “ Then it was the 
tragical end of that forsaken dame ” 

“Not that only. Henriette made me very anxious and 
unhappy ” 

“ Henriette is ill. The morbid state of her nerves makes 
thought and sensation unnatural in her case. But you are 
healthy in body and mind.” 

“Yes, that is true ; but there are certain things for which 
youth and ignorance have no scale of measurement, upon 
which their judgment cannot be brought to bear— - — ” 

“Love, for example,” he hastily interposed, with a rapid 
glance towards the girl. 

“Yes,” she assented, simply. 


AT THE COUNCILLORS. 


i97 


He bowed his head, and, lost in thought, tapped mechan- 
ically with his cane a large block of sandstone lying in the 
middle of a grass-plot opposite the house. In former years 
it had served as a curious but most delightful table for little 
Kitty, who had thought it placed there chiefly that there 
might be a spot where childish hands could deposit fallen 
fruit, flowers, and collections of pebbles. Now she knew that 
it had once been the base of a statue ; the remains of a deli- 
cate little naked foot were still to be seen upon its mossy 
surface. 

Kitty passed her slender hand caressingly over the relic. 
“ Some nymph or muse once stood here,” she said. “ The 
airy form stood lightly poised upon one foot, with extended 
arms. I can imagine the whole figure from this fragment. 
Perhaps her lovely face was turned towards the bridge, and 
she saw the horseman cross it with his haughty bride in 

her gleaming brocade ” Involuntarily she paused ; his 

thoughts were evidently far away, — he did not hear what she 
was saying. What occupied him must have been sad indeed, 
for for the first time, she saw a look of unmistakable dis- 
tress on his fine face, usually so composed and calm. Flora ! 
She was this man’s curse ; his passion for her would be his 
ruin. 

The young girl’s sudden silence made him look around. 
“ Ah, yes,” he said, evidently recalling his thoughts ; “ the 
worthy people who lived here for so long took the liberty of 
destroying the statues. The garden must once have been 
adorned with these figures: there are several pedestals still 
standing in the shrubbery. I shall try to restore the place to 
what it was formerly. In spite of the neglect of years, the 
original plan of the garden can still be traced.” 

“ Then it will be all very fine and grand here j but the view 
of all this lovely wild greenery will be lost ; your study ” 

“ My study will be occupied after next October by a dear 
17 * 


198 


AT THE COUNCILLOR'S. 


friend of my aunt’s,” he calmly interrupted her. “ In the 
autumn I shall remove to L 

She gazed at him in amazement, and involuntarily clasped 

her hands. “ To L ?” she repeated. “Good heavens! 

are you going to leave her? What does she say to it?” 

'• Flora ? Of course she will go with me,” he said, coldly, 
but his eyes gleamed as with an angry pain. “ Do you sup- 
pose I shall leave your sister here ? Be easy on that score.” 

Kitty had alluded to his aunt, but she could not correct the 
mistake : his reply had so startled her, he spoke with such 
certainty. “ You come from the villa ?” she asked, timidly, 
but eagerly. 

“ No, I have not been to the villa,” he said, with emphasis. 
It sounded almost as if he who never condescended to a sneer 
were indulging in sarcasm. “ I have, indeed, not been so for- 
tunate to-day as to see any one from there. I should have 
liked to see Moritz ; but his guests, who were just leaving him 
as I passed there, were so ' noisily gay that I preferred to go 
by without speaking to him.” 

He had not, then, spoken with Flora since the evening 
before, and yet was so decided. What could it mean ? Kitty 
wished she were away from it all ; she seemed to herself like 
no one but Priam’s ill-omened daughter, the only one who 
saw where all were blind. It was fortunate that at this 
moment the poor hen once more ventured too near her grim 
enemy ; it gave Kitty a pretext for breaking off the conver- 
sation ; she chased the fowl into the shed, closed the door and 
bolted it. 


199 


AT THE COUNCILLORS. 


CHAPTER XVL 

When she turned round, the doctor was still standing 
where she had left him, but his gaze was directed towards 
the bridge, and he had grown slightly pale. His profile, with 
the tightly-compressed lips, reminded her of the moment in 
the castle mill when she had asked him about her grand- 
father’s death ; he was struggling with intense emotion of 
some kind. Involuntarily her eyes followed the direction of 
his own, and she could not have been more startled and 
shocked by the apparition of the drowned woman of former 
times than she was by the sight of her beautiful sister ad- 
vancing across the ancient structure with as easy a grace as if 
she had gone hence on the previous evening with a gay “ au 
revoir.” Could it be ? She glided lightly over the place 
where she had declared herself separated forever from the 
man whom she despised ; only a few hours had passed since 
she had heaped every epithet of scorn and contempt upon 
his home, which she had vowed never again to enter; and 
here she was, with her lovely, smiling face, confronting the 
“ dreary barn,” her little feet confidently pressing the grassy 
paths. No wave rolled higher, no breeze stirred, to whisper 
to her of wrong, wilful treachery, and miserable inconstancy, 
while the sunshine played about her graceful form, illumining 
it as if she were of all earth’s children the most dear. 

She had on a dark dress. Rich black lace covered her fair 
curls, and, lying upon the snowy neck, fell in long ends over 
her shoulders and down her back, like the drooping wings of 
an angel of night. Behind her walked the councillor ; he 
looked very animated, and was conducting the Frau President 
with an air of such respect that Kitty in all seriousness began 


200 


AT THE COUNCILi^OR’S. 


to wonder whether she had only dreamed his contemptuous 
looks of the morning and his expressions with regard to the 
“ old cat” and her “ velvet paw.” 

The doctor slowly advanced to meet the approaching group, 
while Kitty stood by the shed as if rooted to the spot, still 
unconsciously holding fast the bolt which she had just pushed 
home. She saw the usual greetings exchanged. Nothing 
extraordinary happened ; no angry word was uttered. The 
councillor warmly congratulated the doctor ; the Frau Presi- 
dent graciously smiled, showing the white tips of her teeth; 
— and Flora ? For one moment her cheeks were dyed with a 
rosy flush, and her glance, usually so self-assured, wandered 
from the dDctor’s countenance to the ground at his feet, but 
she extended her hand with her accustomed air of good-fellow- 
ship, and th.e tips of her Angers were taken, if not retained, 
very much as they had been uj)on Kitty’s arrival, and when 
Doctor Bruck turned round, his features were once more 
composed to marble. 

As she entered the garden. Flora had hastily scanned her 
young sister from head to foot, smiling scornfully the while, 
and then turning to make some apparently malicious remark 
to the councillor ; but now, upon her nearer approach, Kitty 
saw gleaming in her eyes suppressed anger, amounting to a 
kind of hostility. 

“ Well, Kitty ? You seem to be perfectly at ease here,” she 
exclaimed ; “ you really look quite at home, as if the keys to 
every drawer and closet were hanging at your girdle.” 

The young girl m-ade no reply as she slowly turned from 
the door she had just bolted and gazed at her sister. Was 
there no shame in this wayward creature? no shrinking from 
the sound of her own voice here upon this spot ? But yester- 
day she had declared, “ This house shall never again see me 
within its walls,” and now here she stood, about to enter it 
and to return to the “ sordkl surroundings.” 


AT THE COUNCILLORS. 


201 


“ Does Flora’s jest annoy you, my dear child?” the coun- 
cillor asked, hastily approaching her. He drew her hand 
through his arm. “ Console yourself with the knowledge of 
the charming picture you presented among the hens and 
chickens. Only wait, and you shall possess the finest collec- 
tion of them that can be got together.” 

The Frau President, who was ascending the steps, paused 
a moment, as if her breath had suddenly failed her; her 
head, trembling nervously, was turned for an instant with an 
of contempt towards the tender guardian, and then she has- 
tened her entrance into the house. “ Brainless fop, he will 
never cease to be the vulgar bagman !” she muttered, angrily, 
to Flora, who put her handkerchief to her lips to hide a 
laugh. 

Kitty, as if unconsciously, let her hand remain within her 
brother-in-law’s arm. She scarcely heard what he was saying ; 
she did not observe Doctor Bruck’s mute surprise as he stood 
motionless and allowed the pair to pass him : she only saw 
Flora’s hand, the one in which she held the handkerchief to 
hide her laughter, and which was covered with a delicate lace 
mitten that harmonized well with the lace of her dress and by 
contrast made her hand more snowy white than ever. The 
diamonds had disappeared from the third finger, where the 
“ simple circlet of gold that weighed upon her like iron” 
again gleamed dully through the meshes of the lace. Impos- 
sible ! It lay beneath the waters of the rolling stream. Kitty 
suddenly felt as if all about her were unreal ; her eyes and ears 
were no longer to be trusted. 

“ What does this mean ?” the Frau President asked, with 
a frown, pointing to the assemblage in the hall of the furni- 
ture from the villa. 

“ I thought it best to humour Henriette in her desire that 
these articles should be removed from her room,” said Dr 
Bruck. 

I* 


202 


AT THE COUNCILLORS. 


“ She was perfectly riglit. Begging your pardon, grand* 
mamma, it was a ridiculous idea to crowd the sick-room with 
all those things,” Flora remarked, with a shrug. “ The poor 
child is often oppressed for breath; this well-stuflfed furnituie 
muijt have been stifling.” 

Her grandmother evidently meditated a severe retort, but 
the doctor was present, and the maid was standing at the door 
of the kitchen ; so she refrained, and went on to the sick- 
room. As she entered it, she started. Henriette was leaning 
out of bed, so wasted and pale, and yet with such an eager 
expectancy in her large wide-opened eyes, that the Frau Presi- 
dent feared she was again delirious. The invalid’s cool greet- 
ing relieved her, however, and she saw that the look which 
had startled her was directed towards Flora, who had entered 
the room directly behind her. 

The beautiful woman instantly went up to the dean’s widow, 
who had arisen at the entrance of the visitors, and grasped 
her hand, as if she would thus atone for the neglected fare- 
well of the previous evening, and then she turned to the bed. 
“ Well, dear,” she said to the sick girl, “you are wonderfully 
better to-day, we hear ” 

“And you. Flora?” Henriette interrupted her, with irre- 
pressible impatience, as she accorded an absent greeting to 
the councillor, who stood by her bedside. 

Flora suppressed a mocking smile. “I? Oh, tolerablj 
well only ! Yesterday’s fright is still telling upon my nerves, 
but my self-control and firm will stand me in stead. Yester- 
day I was indeed in a wretched state ; I was really ill, almost 
insane, I verily believe, with nervous agitation ; at all events, 
I have but an indistinct remembrance of what happened 
after that terrible walk, — and no wonder! Daniel in the 
lions’ den was scarcely worse ofi* than I surrounded by tliose 
furies ” 

“But Kitty defended you nobly,” Henriette said. “She 


AT THE COUNCILLORS. 


203 


stood like a shield between you and them, — my poor, brave 
Kitty ! Moritz, they tore the clothes from her back and 
pulled down her hair ” 

“ This beautiful hair !” the dean’s widow said, tenderly, as 
she stroked the shining waves that rippled back from the girl’s 
brow. 

“ Well, yes ; the furies did not deal very gently with her,” 
Flora admitted, with a frown ; “ but I must decline taking 
all the blame for it upon my shoulders. It was mostly due to 
her mania for wearing stiff silk dresses. Those people envy 
us our wealth and elegance ; her silk dress irritated the 
women, and they dinned into her ears, and unfortunately into 
ours also, how her grandmother went barefoot, how the castle 
miller was once only a mill servant, and amassed the money, 
now hers, by usury ; and various other edifying facts. Kitty’s 
appearance upon the scene greatly increased our danger ; their 
indignation against the wealthy heiress was unbounded. Am 
I not right, Kitty ?” 

“ Yes, Flora,” the young girl replied, in a trembling voice, 
with a bitter smile. “ I must work hard indeed to atone for 
the wrong done by my grandfather.” 

While Flora was speaking, the Frau President seemed to 
dilate with satisfaction. This laying bare of a scandalous ped- 
igree was like music to her ears. She looked fixedly at the 
councillor. It was impossible that the new-made nobleman 
should not shrink at the thought that people would point at 
his wife and whisper everywhere the tale of her descent and 
of how her fortune was acquired. “ Nonsense, Kitty ! that 
sounds too ridiculously sensitive and silly,” she said, shaking 
her head. “ What do you propose to do ?” 

Flora laughed. “ Open her safe, of course, and scatter her 
stocks abroad among the people.” 

“ As Flora did yesterday the contents of her purse in defence 
of her charming complexion,” Henriette remarked, with an air 


204 


AT THE COUNCILLORS. 


of easy banter. Her rising indignation conquered for awhile 
hor burning desire to see Flora in the dust at the doctor’s 
feet. 

“ I should never be guilty of such folly,” Kitty said, calmly, 
but seriously, to Flora, who bit her lip at Henriette’s remark. 
“ If a curse rests upon the money ” 

The councillor’s laugh interrupted her. “ Never vex your- 
self about that, child. A curse 1 I tell you there is a charm 
about your money ; the dividends from some new investments 
I have just made for you are enormous.” 

The Frau President’s eyelids, usually drooping over her 
eyes in aristocratic lassitude, opened wide at this expression. 
The word “ dividend” had power to kindle those eyes with an 
eager glitter which the desire for conquest in her time of 
youth and beauty could scarcely have called forth. 

“Enormous?” she repeated. “Mine are by no means so 
large. I will sell out, and invest in this new stock.” 

“ That can easily be arranged, dearest grandmamma ; I will 
take the necessary steps immediately. Yes, yes, the saying 
is quite true,* ‘ Where doves alight there doves will flock,’ and 
never truer than in the present wondrous age. The capi- 
talist is a rock upon which the waves toss up treasure of their 
own accord ” 

“ That is not the opinion of the prudent men of the day, 
Moritz,” said Doctor Bruck. When Henriette made her 
eager retort he had advanced to the bedside and had taken 
her hand soothingly in both his own, and he was still standing 
thus. He was in full dress beneath his light overcoat, and 
looked a most distinguished figure, but in the face which he 
now turned full upon those present there was perceptible a 
certain strange look of sufi'ering which Kitty had noticed to- 
day for the first time. “ There has been a good deal of mis- 
trust lately about these sudden gains, and people begin to call 
them by a very ugl}" name ” 


AT THE COUNCILLORS. 


205 


“ Swindling, I suppose you mean,” the councillor gaily 
/nterrupted him. “ My dearest doctor, I have the highest 
respect for your scientific attainments, but you must permit 
me to excel you in a knowledge of business affairs. You 
are a most distinguished- surgeon, and have just achieved 
fame ” 

Henriette here sat upright, and asked, eagerly, panting as 
h almost overcome by her feeling of triumph, “ Do you know 
that. Flora?” 

“ Of course I know it, you silly child, although the Herr 
Doctor has hitherto not thought it worth while to give me 

any personal information of his fortunate cure at L ,” 

Flora lightly made answer, while her eyes boldly and as if in 
challenge encountered Henriette’s gaze. “ I also know that 
the sun of princely favour has suddenly shone full upon him 
in a most unexampled fashion. Of course this is still a court 
secret, to be kept even from his betrothed.” Her lips parted 
in an enchanting smile, and the rosy flush that tinted her 
cheek at her last words became her charmingly. 

Henriette fell back disappointed among her pillows, — even 
she had been mistaken in this chameleon nature. 

The Frau President, standing beside the doctor, tapped him 
almost affectionately upon the shoulder. Never before had 
she treated him with such condescending familiarity. “May 
we not know something further ? Are the preliminaries not 
yet arranged ?” she asked, in a gentle, flattering tone. 

“ He has just returned from an interview with the prince,” 
his aunt said, never turning her gaze from her darling, her 
eyes beaming with proud affection. 

“ Ah, then the report that Herr von Bar has been pensioned 
off is true?” the old lady asked, with well-feigned indiffer- 
ence, masking her eagerness. 

“ I do not know ; that is no affair of mine,” the doctor 
quietly replied. “ The prince desires that as long as I remain 

18 


206 


AT THE COUNCILLOR'S. 


here I shall take charge of his chronic inflammation of the 
foot ” 

“ As long as you remain here, Brack ?” Flora interrupted 
him, quickly. “ Are you going away ?” 

“ I shall establish myself in L in the beginning of 

October,” he coldly answered, without looking at her. His 
eyes were fixed upon the budding apple-tree outside of tbe 
window. 

“ What ! you have declined a position and a title at our 
court ?” the Frau President exclaimed, clasping her hands in 
amazement. 

“ I am not permitted to decline the title.” An ironical 
smile flitted across his features. “ Evidently his Serene 
Highness thinks it contrary to all the laws of etiquette to be 
attended by an untitled physician. He insists upon making 
me Hofrath.” 

As he spoke, his aunt, struggling against her evident emo- 
tion, held out her hand to him, and he — usually reserve itself 
— put his arm around her slender form and clasped her close 
to his breast. The sufFering, the calumniation, which they 
two had steadfastly endured together isolated them, in the 
moment of recompense, from the rest of the circle. 

Flora turned away and walked to the window, biting her 
lip until it nearly bled; one could see how she longed to 
thrust away the faithful friend from the place which the false 
love had forfeited. 

“ But he is going away, aunt,” Henriette said, in a low, 
hoarse tone. 

“ Yes, to where fortune and fame await him,” tne old ladj 
answered, lifting her tearful face from his shoulder. “ I can 
gladly stay behind in the home which his filial love has pro- 
vided for me, if I know him appreciated, honoured, and 
esteemed where he is. And, besides, my mission is almost at 
an end, — another is to take my place.” The tenderness of 


AT THE COUNCILLOR'S. 


207 


her tone gave way to profound seriousness, as her eyes, 
usually so gentle in their expression, looked almost sternly 
towards the beautiful woman at the window. “ She, with 
her rich endowments of intellect, will appreciate more fully 
than I can the sanctity and, at the same time, the frequent 
trials of his profession, and will surely create for him a home 
whither he may flee from the cares that beset his public 
career, and where affection and serenity will abide uniformly!' 
The emphasis she placed upon the last word told Kitty that 
the widow had observed, and ascribed to caprice. Flora’s be- 
haviour on the preceding day. 

“ Tha* is all very charming and delightful, my dear Frau 
Dean, and I have no doubt that Flora will make an admi 
rable professor’s wife,” the Frau President remarked, evi- 
dently piqued by the tone which the simple widow of a dean 
had adopted towards her grandchild ; “ but nowadays there 
can be no home without comfortable apartments, and I am 
having an immense amount of trouble in arranging them. I 
have, just had a most fatiguing discussion with the cabinet- 
maker ; he insists — Heaven knows why ! — that it will be im- 
possible to have Flora’s buhl furniture, ordered months ago, 
finished by Whitsuntide. And Flora, too, has had trouble 
with her trousseau, — the workwomen have been so dilatory 
that it cannot be ready before the beginning of July. What 
is to be done ?” 

“ We will wait,” Doctor Bruck said, briefly, and took up 
his hat and cane to put them in the hall. 

The Frau President started, and a perplexed expression 
crossed her countenance ; but she instantly recovered herself^ 
and, laying her hand on his arm, said, How kind and good 
you are, my dear doctor, to help us thus out of our dilemma ! 
I was afraid of encountering your opposition. Whitsuntide 
has been quite a nightmare to me, you so insisted upon that 
time.” 


208 


AT THE COUNCILLOR'S. 


“ Yes ; but my removal to L makes some change neces- 

sary,” he said, quietly, and left the room. 

“And what does Flora think?” the dean’s widow asked, 
LR an uncertain tone ; she was apparently rather shocked at 
the doctor’s cool behaviour, and the sudden, embarrassed 
silence on the part of the others. 

Flora turned towards her a beaming countenance. “I am 
very glad of the postponement, since my future position is to 
be so different from what I had expected. There is need of 
much preparation and reflection. Grood heavens, think of the 
change ! A very different mode of life is looked for by the 
world from the wife of a famous professor from that expected 
of the wife of a simple doctor, Hofrath and physician to the 
royal household though he be.” There was undeniable arro- 
gance in her whole bearing ; every word she said showed the 
exultation she could not suppress: she had reached the pin- 
nacle of her most ardent aspirations. 

The councillor rubbed his hands in a state of great satisfac- 
tion ; he would have liked to laugh in her face. But the Frau 
President had some trouble to conceal her rising indignation ; 
her grandchild evidently contemplated achieving at her hus- 
band’s side a higher social position than she herself, the wife 
of an exalted government official, had ever attained. 

“ What are you talking of. Flora?” she said, with a disap- 
proving shake of her head. 

“ Of my brilliant future, grandmamma,” she replied, with 
a supercilious little smile, as she turned away with the air 
of one who would not by any word or look be reminded of a 
disagreeable past. 

“ And now I resign myself entirely to you, dear aunt,” she 
said to the dean’s widow, who was closely observing her every 
look and word. “ Do with me what you will. I will obey 
you in everything ; only show me how I can make Leo happy ; 
I will sew, cook ” And, as she spoke, she drew off hei 


AT THE COUNCILLOR'S. 


209 


lace mittens as if impatient to begin ; but, as she did so, she 
made a grasp at the empty air, with a sudden exclamation of 
dismay, — the “ simple golden circlet” had slipped from her 
finger. No one had heard it fall on the floor ; every one 
looked for it, but in vain : it seemed to have vanished into air. 

“ It must be among your pillows, Henriette,” Flora declared. 
She had grown quite pale. “ Let me raise you up for a mo- 
ment and see ” 

That I cannot allow,” the dean’s widow firmly interposed. 
“ Henriette must not be disturbed, nor her position unneces- 
sarily altered ” 

“ Unnecessarily,” Flora repeated, reproachfully, pouting like 
a child. “ Why, aunt, it is my betrothal-ring.” 

Kitty fairly trembled at these words. Was Flora really such 
a child of good fortune that some miracle had restored to her 
the ring she had flung away ? or was this all a brazen false- 
hood? In vain did she look for an answer to this in the 
anxious eyes of the beautiful sphinx. 

“It is an unlucky accident,” the dean’s widow said,. “but 
the ring cannot be lost ; we shall And it when Henriette’s bed 
is made, and my servant shall take it over to the villa to you.” 

“ She shall be rewarded with a handful of gold if she 
brings it to me this evening,” declared Flora, who was evi- 
dently much disturbed. 

The Frau President and the councillor seated themselves 
by the bedside of the sick girl, who had taken no further part 
in the conversation. Only once had she raised her head, with 
her lips opened as if to speak. When her grandmamma had 
said she could not understand the delay upon the part of 
the cabinet-maker, she had been upon the point of saying, 
“ Because your orders have been all but countermanded.” 
But she remembered before it was too late that the pasl must 
never again be alluded to. 

0 


18 * 


210 


AT THE COUNGILLOHS. 


CHAPTER XVIL 

The dean’s widow left the room, to provide some refresh- 
ment, and Kitty followed her. Disgust and aversion drove 
her from the room in which such a farce had just been played. 
She begged the old lady to resign to her for an hour her 
household cares, and the widow willingly handed her her keys. 
“ Here, my dear, dear child, my faithful, true-hearted Kitty,” 
she said, gently, in a voice which trembled as if she were 
suppressing a sigh, and then she put her arm around the 
girl's waist and drew her towards her. “ It rests me only to 
look into your frank, sweet face. I am always reminded of 
Luther’s beloved Catharina, the true wife standing so firmly 
and boldly by her husband’s side.” And then she sighed 
deeply as she released the blushing girl and returned to the 
sick-room. 

Kitty brought from the store-room the coffee, and a cake 
baked in honour of the day, and, while the stout, good- 
humoured maid made the fire in the stove, she filled the 
pretty old-fashioned bowl with sugar, and was just cutting 
the cake in slices, when she heard some one leave the sick- 
room. The kitchen-door was ajar, and through the wide 
opening she saw Flora come into the hall. 

The beautiful woman looked around her with a troubled, 
uncertain air, — the geography of the “ dreary barn” was un- 
known to her, — but it seemed as if those searching eyes had 
magnetically attracted the doctor. At that moment he came 
out of his aunt’s sitting-room. 

Flora flew towards him with open arms. Her long black 
robe swept the floor, and the ends of her black lace scarf 


AT THE COUNCILLOR'S. 


211 


streamed behind her like loosened tresses of dark hair. With 
her white hands, which the black lace ruffles made to seem 
childishly small, and her pale face, she looked like one of those 
fair, ghostly dames who, according to popular superstition, arise 
from the grave to murder those whom they attract. 

“ Leo !” It was gently breathed, and yet it vibrated through 
the hall. 

Kitty listened with Dated breath, — it pierced her very 
soul. 

Was that Flora’s voice ? Did that delicious sound of soft 
entreaty, of trembling longing, really issue from the lips that 
could utter such stinging words, that could smile in such 
cutting scorn ? The young girl turned away, and cast down 
her eyes; the knife trembled in her hand. She longed to 
shut the door, that she might neither see nor be seen, but 
strangely enough she lacked the force and courage to stir. 
There was no answer without, and no further step was heard. 

“ Leo, look at me 1” Flora spoke louder, half in entreaty, 
half in command. “ Why torture yourself by thus doing 
violence to your own heart ? I know how manfully you are 
struggling to suppress your most sacred impulses, that you 
may seem hard and cold, to punish me. And why ? Because 
yesterday I was half wild with what I had suffered, and did 
not know what I did or said. Leo, my life which belongs to 
you had been in danger, my blood was in a ferment, and — 
D en you irritated me further.” 

Kitty involuntarily looked up. Beside her stood the maid, 
with a broad grin on her good, fat face: it certainly was 
delightful to hear the pretty lady begging something of her 
young master. Kitty instantly recovered her self-control ; 
she took the plate of cake in her hand and went out into the 
hall. She saw the doctor standing with folded arms and 
averted face gazing through the open house-door; his brown 
cheek looked pale, his teeth were firmly and angrily set, while 


212 


AT THE COUNCILLOR'S. 


Flora’s trailing black figure hung upon his neck, clinging to 
him like the fabled vampire. 

At the noise made by the opening door, the doctor started, 
and his glance encountered Kitty’s. He recoiled as if detected 
in some crime. Flora’s eyes followed the direction of his own, 
but the lovely arms were not unclasped from about his neck. 
“ It is only Kitty,” she murmured, and leaned her head upon 
Ills breast. 

Kitty glided past them into the sick-room. Her heart beat 
almost audibly with terror and shame ; she had interrupted a 
love-scene k la Romeo and Juliet. With trembling hands she 
placed the plate upon a table, and by Henriette’s desire, who 
feared that her pets might make an inroad upon the cake and 
sugar, she lured the fluttering canaries into their small aviary 
and closed its door behind them. 

As she did so, she saw the ring that had eluded their search 
lying upon the clean white sand on the floor of the cage. Oddly 
enough, it had dropped through the wires and upon the soft 
sand without noise. Kitty took it up and slipped it into her 
pocket, and then she should have gone into the kitchen to 
superintend the making of the coffee, but she almost shivered 
with terror and dislike. She seemed to herself about to be 
thrust forth to death, to destruction. She still stood by the 
table, busying herself with the birds, while the Frau Presi- 
dent, in a pleasant, subdued voice, talked on about Flora’s 
trousseau, and the dean’s widow reckoned up upon her fingers 
the various additional articles that the change of residence 
would make necessary ; the old lady seemed quite convinced 
that her distinguished nephew was about to marry a kind of 
princess. 

Kitty was released from torment sooner than she had antici- 
pated. The doctor entered the room after a few minutes, and 
she slipped past him without looking up. The hall was empty. 
Flora must have gone into the garden. The grinding of the 


AT THE COUNCILLORS 


213 


coffee-mill was heard in the kitchen ; perhaps that harsh noise, 
and not, as she had suspected, her appearance, had terminated 
the reconciliation scene thus quickly. 

Her duties were soon concluded, and, while the maid was 
putting on a clean apron preparatory to carrying the coffee to 
the guests, Kitty went to the window and examined the ring, 
which "with a throbbing heart she took from her pocket. 
E. M., 1843, was engraved on the inside, — Ernst Mangold. 
Then she held in her hand the betrothal-ring of Flora’s mother. 

She stood paralyzed by the utter frivolity with which Flora 
had thus discovered a means of relieving herself from all 
embarrassment. Hers was one of those feminine natures 
which master a situation by a bold stroke as soon as it is 
comprehended, and by a reckless ignoring of all that is 
unpleasant in the past come down upon their feet in any 
change of circumstances and instantly take up afresh the 
threads of their intrigues and continue to weave them suc- 
cessfully. And this was the sister before whose intellectual 
and moral superiority her childish soul had prostrated itself 
in timid awe ! 

The unpretending symbol of conjugal fidelity worn by 
Flora’s gentle mother to the hour of her death had been 
desecrated by the daughter’s wanton hands. It seemed almost 
to burn Kitty’s fingers. She would have liked to throw it 
far away, never to be found again by human hand ; but it 
was her sister’s by inheritance, and must be returned to her. 

She left the kitchen and went into the garden, at the 
bottom of which Flora stood gazing abroad over the picket- 
fence. Her back was turned to the house, and her arms 
folded across her breast, while the sunlight tinged her fair 
hair through the meshes of the lace with pale gold. The 
watch-dog was barking incessantly and angrily at the mute, 
strange figure, with the long, rustling train lying daik upon 
the grass. 


214 


AT THE COUNCILLOR'S. 


The dog’s barking drowned the noise of Kitty’s approacn-^ 
ing footsteps ; Flora did not observe her until she stood close 
beside her. Then she started and turned round, her face 
still flushed with agitation ; she was evidently in a very irri- 
table frame of mind, for she frowned still more darkly, and 
her eyes flashed with anger. 

“ Are you here again, like an inevitable Deus ex machina ? 
Awkward creature, to come blundering in !” she exclaimed, as 
if there stood beside her not this stately, dignifled young girl, 
but an ill-bred, naughty child, whom the discipline of the rod 
awaited. 

Righteous indignation almost overpowered Kitty; hers 
was no submissive nature; her youthful blood did not flow 
so gently in her veins as to prompt her to turn the other 
cheek to so insulting a reception ; but she controlled her- 
self. “ I bring you your ring,” she said, briefly and coldly. 

“ Give it to me !” Flora’s features assumed a more tranquil 
expression, as she hastily took the little circlet from Kitty’s 
open palm and put it on her Anger. “ I am very glad to have 
the truant once more. It is such bad luck ” 

“ You are not alluding to any evil omen in this case ?” 
The young girl’s voice almost failed her at the display of such 
incredible audacity. 

“ And why not ? Do you suppose people of our position 
in life are necessarily free from superstition ? Napoleon the 
First was as superstitious as any village crone, let me tell you ; 
and I, child, also confess to a faith in omens.” She looked 
fixedly at Kitty, as if to defy criticism and to bar all allusion 
to the past, nay, even all memory of the display on the part 
of her youthful sister. 

But there confronted her now a being undeviatingly true, 
whose indignant blood was boiling. “ You forget,” Kitty 
said, “ that you were not standing alone there last evening.” 
And she pointed to the bridge. 


AT THE COUNCILLORS. 


215 


Flora laughed angrily. “ This comes of having one’s foot- 
steps dogged by a younger sister. In the true school-girl 
fashion, she puts on an air of confidential familiarity, and 
delights in hinting at what were best gone and forgotten. 
Did you not hear me say just now that the adventure of 
yesterday in the forest so shattered my nerves that I could 
not be responsible for anything that occurred afterwards? 
I suppose, my esteemed Kitty, that, in your profound sa- 
gacity, you would remind me that I cannot connect any omen 
with my betrothal-ring because — well, because it lies at the 
bottom of the river. Eh, my dear?” Again she laughed. 
“ What if, in spite of my agitation and confusion of mind, 
my indignation at an unjust and prejudiced criticism that 
had just been launched at me, I had yielded to a feeling of 
compunction, and had not thrown away my precious jewel ? 
Did you hear the ring drop, child ? Certainly not ! for here 
it is,” and she turned the ring about on her finger, “ after 
having really been upon the point of leaving me of its own 
iccord ” 

“ Because it is too large for you. Your fingers are more 
slender than your mother’s were,” Kitty sternly interrupted 
her. 

Flora raised her hand in menace. “ Viper !” she mut- 
tered, between her teeth. “ In the first moment that I saw 
you I felt, I knew, that your clumsy person would cast an 
ugly shadow upon my life I How dare you undertake to play 
the spy upon me? Upon me? These honourable principles 
are the fine effects of the teachings of your excellent Lukas I” 

“ No need to mention my Lukas 1” said Kitty, who opposed 
a perfectly calm demeanour to this passionate outburst. “ My 
education has had nothing to do with my mode of thought 
and action in this instance. These ‘ honourable principles’ 
I inherit from a good father. I detest deceit, and would 
rather die than call falsehood truth. You may be able to 


216 


AT THE COUNCILLOR'S. 


silence those about you by your treacherous audacity, and 
thus make them accomplices in your deceit, but this you 
cannot do with me, young and inexperienced though I be. 
I am not to be blinded: I have excellent eyes and a good 
memory ” 

“Very sound natural endowments; haidly to be equalled 
by any one gifted with delicate sensibilities and refined 
feeling !” Flora exclaimed. While Kitty was speaking, she 
had several times turned as if to leave “ the chit.” She had 
clenched her hands, bitten her lip, and mercilessly stripped 
of its first green leaves one of the boughs of a bush that stood 
near, but she had not gone, and now she spoke as composedly 
as though she had not for a moment lost her self-possession. 

“Will you ever understand me, child?” She shrugged 
her shoulders. “ I think not ; you cling with childlike cre- 
dulity to your tiresome code of what you call morality, and 
can never appreciate the soul of things, estimating every- 
thing by your rule, as the tradesman does his stufis by the 
yard, be they coarse or fine, green or red ; but I will try to 
make myself clear.” 

She approached her sister, so closely that Kitty felt her 
breath upon her cheek. “Yes, you are right,” she said, in a 
low tone, and with a hasty side-glance towards the window 
of the house, “ my betrothal-ring is lying in the depths of 
the river. I flung it away in a paroxysm of despair, in 
utter disgust, — disgust at the prospect of a life of poverty at 
Bruck’s side. Girls of your stamp cannot, of course, under- 
stand this. You choose a husband for certain qualities, a 
good figure, perhaps, or a fine beard, and when once you 
have said ‘ yes’ you follow him through thick and thin ; and 
rightly, — such girls make excellent mothers of well-taught sons. 
They cower in the domestic nest and timidly and humbly 
close their eyes when an eagle soars to dizzy heights above 
them. But such an eagle must be my mate. Upon those 


AT THE COUNCILLOR'S. 


217 


heights I breathe my native air ; close by his side, I cheer 
him onward and encourage his lofty flight ” 

“ And if some malignant arrow lame his wing, you pro- 
claim him a crow and leave him like a coward,” Kitty in- 
terrupted her, thus trenchantly stigmatizing her ambitious 
sister’s shameless treachery ; and, as she spoke, she stood 
with folded arms, the personiflcation of indignant womanhood. 
* You did not even have the grace to go quietly to work about 
your faithless schemes, as is the wont of traitors, but you 
openly declared your bitter hatred, and proclaimed yourself 
deceived, betrayed, on this very spot, where now you stand 
again ” 

“ Bruck’s idolized love, who needed to pass through all 
her errors to appreciate the magnitude of her good fortune,” 
Flora completed the sentence, in a tone of triumph. Then, 
with a malicious gleam in her eyes, she added, “ But you can 
be excessively impertinent, child. I am really struck by the 
fine turn you gave to my simile. I admit that a fair share 
of quite respectable intelligence has fallen to you, — just enough, 
indeed, to mislead you entirely in your estimate of genius, of 
a soul of fire. What can you know of a psychological problem ? 
If I had uttered yesterday one word of friendship forfeited, 
you would be right in your indignation at my sudden change, 
for nothing of passion can come of friendship; while hate 
and love are close akin in the human soul, — they enkindle 
each other ; excess of love often lies at the foundation of what 
seems bitter hatred. You, with your blunt sensibilities, can 
Q( ver understand this. You would propitiate your husband 
by some triumph of cookery, while a nature like mine, in the 
intensity of its desire to atone, might commit a crime for 
him, nay, even sufier death.” 

She pressed her clenched fist to her breast, as if she were 
even then thrusting a dagger into her heart. “ And now let 
me tell you, never have I loved Bruck so passionately, so 

K 19 


218 


AT THE COUNCILLOR'S. 


intensely, as since I have known how he has endured like a 
martyr, like a hero, in silence, — since I confessed to myself how 
bitterly I have wronged him ; and never,” — she suddenly seized 
Kitty’s hand in a clasp that was as cold as the wind which 
came blowing from the water, — “ and never,” she whispered, 
“ have I been so fiercely jealous. Heed what I say, child ! 
This is my domain. And although you are the last to be held 
dangerous by me, — he has no liking for you, as I have long 
observed, and, besides, will never have eye or ear for any 
other save myself, — still, I am not disposed to endure the 
presence near me of any one who so evidently seeks to please. 
Your ‘ homely’ ways and conduct here, your intimate going 
and coming, do not suit me. For the future all this must 
cease. Do you understand, child ?” 

Having thus spoken, she picked up her train and turned 
hastily towards the house, as if to bar all reply, — a needless 
precaution, for Kitty’s pale lips were firmly closed. Youth 
and innocence had no reply for such a heaped-up measure of 
arrogance, waywardness, and deceit. 


CHAPTER XVIII. 

It was May. The trees had shaken off their snowy 
blossoms, and the huge beds of hyacinths and crocuses, which 
had been so admired on the lawn before the villa, had quite 
done blooming. The lilacs and syringas were in flower, the 
tender green buds were just peeping forth upon the rose- 
bushes, and the shade in the shrubbery and in the linden 
avenue was growing deeper and darker. The river ran once 
more clear through the garland of green that bordered it on 
either side, and over the dear old house upon its bank there 


AT THE COUNCILLOR'S. 


219 


tjlambered a web of greenery that, day by day, concealed 
more and more of the white walls. The healthy grape-vines 
drooped their tendrils even above the overhanging eaves. 

The guest-chamber stood untenanted once more. lien- 
ri'ette had been removed some time since to the villa, appar- 
ently quite recovered ; indeed, her disease seemed to be 
checked : its progress was not perceptible ; and this beneficial 
change the dean’s widow ascribed to Kitty’s nursing. The 
two sisters in their third story led a pleasant, isolated exist- 
ence that was full of fresh charm since the new piano had 
been placed in Kitty’s room. Not to Kitty’s care alone was 
Henriette’s improvement due : her intimate intercourse with 
the doctor’s aunt had proved of great advantage to her. 
Her views of life and of its duties and pleasures had under- 
gone a change in the quiet of the house by the river. She 
no longer recoiled from the thought of a retired life, — the 
whirl of fashion and society aroused in her now no eager 
longings. 

And, in truth, the councillor’s home had never been so 
gay in a worldly sense as at present, since the elevation of 
its master to the aristocracy. There were many occasions, 
and very welcome ones, for festivities of various kinds, and 
the Frau President’s invention and the councillor’s purse 
seemed alike inexhaustible. The man’s good fortune was 
wondrous indeed. Disturbed by no loss, no failure, whatever 
was touched by the enchanted wand of his business genius 
seemed to turn to gold, — ^his wealth was estimated by millions. 
A nd he thoroughly understood how to wear the glory of his 
new distinction, how to make it interesting, an inexhaustible 
theme of wonder and admiration for rich and poor. The 
road past Villa Baumgarten became a fashionable prom- 
enade ; strangers were shown the magnificent estate which 
was always being added to and improved. They told of 
costly pictures and statuary, of rare collections gathered 


220 


AT THE COUNCILLOR'S. 


together within those marble walls of a plate-room not to 
be equalled in the royal palace. The crowd halted and 
gaped when one of his equipages waited before the gates, and 
wondered whether the light cloud of sand, stirred by the 
wind upon the gravel-walks, were not gold-dust. 

Large additions were building, making long stretches of 
road through the park almost impassable, heaped up as they 
were with blocks of granite and marble to be used in these 
additions and in the new stables, the old ones, although 
spacious and convenient, having long been too small for the 
councillor’s passion for fine horses. The ground selected for 
the artificial lake proved rather unsuitable for such an adorn- 
ment, and this, with the new tropical conservatory, absorbed 
enormous sums of money. And one day a multitude of 
workmen arrived to undertake the repair of an extensive and 
very elegant pavilion, which had been hitherto locked up and 
in disuse. It was situated in the forest, at a considerable 
distance from the villa, but from its upper windows there 
was a good view of the road and the town. A graceful 
wing was added to the original building, the windows were 
all provided with plate-glass, and from time to time the coun- 
cillor would produce from his pocket patterns of stuffs for 
covering furniture, or drawings for parquet fioorings, and beg 
the aid of the Frau President’s taste in their selection. On 
such occasions she was wont to be very curt and ungracious, 
while Flora smiled behind her pocket-handkerchief; but the 
old lady was forced to choose, in spite of her declaration that 
she was not at all interested in the renovation of the old “ bar 
racks,” and had quite enough of work to last her lifetime in 
the arrangement and ordering of the villa, without troubling 
herself about a lodging-house for business friends of the 
councillor’s, a place where she certainly never should set her 
foot. Therefore she steadily ignored the new building, in 
spite of the incessant noise and hammering that resounded 


AT THE COUNCILLOR'S. 


221 


thence, much as the ambitious spouse of a reigning sovereign 
ignores her future dower-house. 

In all this bustle, this hurry of beginnings and endings, 
the councillor came and went like a bird of passage. He 
made many business excursions, but these were shortly all 
to have an end, he said, and then he should purchase a large 
estate in the country and become really one of the landed 
aristocracy. Whenever he had two or three holidays, he spent 
much time in the third story ; he drank coffee there regularly 
in the afternoon, to the great vexation of the Frau President, 
who thereby lost her favourite hour in her conservatory ; for 
she was naturally far too attentive to leave “ dear Moritz” 
to the society of a peevish invalid and an unformed school- 
girl, and almost always made her appearance with him. 

This was a great relief to Kitty, who had conceived an 
unconquerable, shy dislike of her guardian since he had 
grown so strangely affable and even tender in his demeanour 
towards herself, and so false, so deceitful in his external 
politeness towards the Frau President. Involuntarily she 
adopted, in her intercourse with him, the dignified reserve of 
a woman, where she had formerly shown the confidence of a 
child. And this very change seemed to please and encourage 
him in his new, strange role. He divined her wishes and 
fulfilled them ; he had long since consented that the unused 
portion of the mill-garden should be sold to the workmen. 
He placed no obstacles in the way of any of her benevolent 
schemes, and, when her purse was empty, filled it without a 
word of remonstrance. “ Deny yourself the fulfilment of no 
whim, Kitty; I shall soon have to buy you another iron 
safe,” he said, in allusion to the astounding increase of her 
capital. She listened in gloomy silence. With all his 
finesse and diplomatic replies to her grave inquiries, he had 
never yet disproved the complaint made by the people, that 
her wealth had been gained by pitiless usury, — a complaint 
19 * 


222 


AT THE COUNCILLOR'S, 


to which the Frau President never lost an opportunity of 
alluding. The naive childish delight Kitty had formerly 
taken in being so rich had been converted into a kind of 
dread of the money which was so swiftly, so strangely accu- 
mulating, only, it might be, to fall upon and crush her at 
some future day in just retribution. 

She had grown notably graver. The sunny smile that 
her lively temperament had so often called up upon her face 
was now rare. She was never unreservedly gay, except in 
the house by the river, and there only at certain times. 
The dean’s widow had been for some time charitably teach- 
ing a number of poor children to knit and to sew, every 
Wednesday and Saturday afternoon. In this little scheme 
Kitty, with the joyful consent of the old lady, had taken 
part. Intercourse with children was something entirely novel 
in her experience, stirring chords in her nature the existence 
of which she had never suspected. She took heartfelt delight 
in the little -creatures, and admitted to herself that the care 
and instruction of them was an occupation beyond all others 
to her in interest. 

She clothed them when they needed it, — there was always 
an apron or little dress in her work-basket, — and she pro- 
vided (which the dean’s widow could not have offorded) 
fruit and biscuit for their refreshment when the hour of 
industry was over. In the summer the lessons were given in 
the garden, and when they were over the children, for the 
most part living in the closest and darkest alleys of the 
town could enjoy a romp on the grass in the shade of the 
fruit-trees. Kitty had provided portable benches for seats, 
and balls and hoops for the hour of recreation that followed 
work. 

Flora was greatly vexed at all this, which she chose to 
regard as an infringement of her rights with regard to the 
doctor’s aunt, but she was wise enough to suppress all evi 


AT THE COUNCILLOR'S. 


223 


dence of her annoyance in the house by the river, since 
“ the old woman took it so very ill if the tall girl with vulgar 
red cheeks and genuine Sommer features was not regarded 
as a perfect pattern-card of every imaginable virtue.” The 
beautiful betrothed visited the house daily ; she had had a 
dozen embroidered white aprons made, trimmed with lace, 
and never appeared without this domestic adornment, which 
became her admirably. No one could accuse her of not 
making every exertion to gain the approval of the doctor’s 
aunt. She exposed her delicate face to the heat of the 
kitchen fire that she might learn how to bake cake; she 
took lessons in pickling and preserving, and once even took 
the fiat-iron from the maid-servant’s hand and herself ironed 
a table-napkin ; but, in spite of these tremendous exertions, 
she never succeeded in inducing the dean’s widow to depart 
in the smallest degree from the courteous but excessively 
reserved demeanour that she had adopted towards her 
nephew’s betrothed ever since that most unlucky evening. 
She seemed to know perfectly well how, after these efforts. 
Flora would withdraw to her dressing-room as if fatigued to 
death, there to pull off her apron and toss it into a corner, 
and then usually to refresh herself by a round of visits in 
the carriage to her friends, whose ill-concealed envy was an 
inexhaustible source of satisfaction for her. These friends 
maintained unanimously that the university professor’s future 
wife gave herself the airs of a full-plumaged peacock as she 
rolled along in her coupe, and that her arrogance was almost 
unbearable. 

The sudden change in Doctor Brack’s career was still a 
nine- days’ wonder. Many could hardly yet believe that the 
calumniated and depreciated young physician of a few weeks 
since now walked the streets of the capital an actual Hofrath 
The man grew daily in the estimation of court and public ; 
and, since his removal to L would in future make him 


224 


AT THE COUNCILLORS 


unattainable, every sufferer was desirous of benefiting by his 
skill. Thus it happened that Doctor Bruck was actually 
overwhelmed with patients. His manuscript lay untouched 
upon his writing-table; he slept in his lodgings in town, 
taking his meals there usually, and thus declining to avail 
himself of the councillor’s daily invitations to dine ; any 
time spent at the villa or with his aunt had to be stolen, as 
he expressed it, from his patients. 

Kitty saw him but seldom, and was all the more struck 
with the great change in him, probably in consequence of 
hard work, she thought. He looked pale and wearied ; his 
former quiet but gentle reserve had become gloomy taciturn- 
ity. With Kitty he had scarcely interchanged two words 
since she had surprised his tete-k-tete with Flora in the hall, 
and his curt manner towards her had been such as to con- 
vince her that her inopportune appearance on that occasion 
had greatly angered him. It wounded her that it should be 
so, and she avoided him whenever she could. 

in his conduct towards Flora, on the other hand, there 
was not the slightest change ; he was the same grave, digni- 
fied person whom Kitty had seen the first time she had seen 
the betrothed pair together. Sometimes she half believed 
that the terrible scene by Henriette’s bedside was either a 
freak of her own imagination, or else that Doctor Bruck pos- 
sessed a power, common to no other mortal, of forgetting, of 
absolutely obliterating from his memory, disagreeable occur- 
rences. Flora had evidently expected that her entreaty for 
forgiveness, her manifest repentance, would restore the intimate 
intercourse of the first weeks of their betrothal. Loving her 
so passionately as he did, must he not be intensely happy in 
knowing her now irrevocably his own again ? Perhaps the 
happiness was there, only concealed for the present, and his 
beautiful betrothed might console herself by refiecting that a 
man of Bruck’s stamp was not too easily appeased, that all 


AT THE COUNCILLOR'S. 


225 


would be as she would have it by September, the month now 
fixed for the marriage. 

In the mean while, the twentieth of May, Flora’s birth- 
day, had come. Every table in her room was covered with 
flowers, the usual gifts of her friends. Even the princess 
had sent a magnificent bouquet to the betrothed of the Hof- 
rath, whom she delighted to honour,' and the most flattering 
congratulations poured in from various grandees of the court. 
Yes, it was a day of triumph for Flora ; a day to strengthen 
her in the conviction that she was a favourite of the gods, 
one destined to an exceptionally brilliant career. 

And yet there was a cloud upon her brow, and now and 
then she frowned darkly upon the table in the centre of the 
room. Among the gifts from her grandmother and her 
sisters stood a handsome mantel-clock of black marble. Doc- 
tor Bruck had sent it to her early in the morning, with an 
accompanying congratulatory note, excusing his non-appear- 
ance before the afternoon, on the ground of anxiety concern- 
ing a patient who was very ill. 

“ I cannot understand why Leo could find nothing prettier 
for me than that clumsy thing,” she said, as she pointed 
to the clock, to the Frau President, who had taken the 
princess’s bouquet from a vase and was smelling it eagerly, 
as if it must exhale a peculiar perfume. “No one likes to 
give a black birthday present ; for my part, I consider it at 
least very bad taste.” 

“ The clock is very suitable, chosen quite in accordance 
with your taste. Flora ; it is intended to complete the decora- 
tion of this room,” said Henriette. She was lying on 'tbo 
crimson couch, and, as she spoke, she glanced contemptuously 
at the black marble pedestals in the corners of the room. 

“ Nonsense ! you know as well as I that I cannot take this 
furniture away with me. Moritz furnished this room entirely 
according to my desire, it is true, but so far as I know he 
P 


226 


AT THE COUNCILLOR'S. 


has given me neither the furniture nor the hargings. And 
I would not take them away with me if ho cifered them to 
me, — one grows just as tired of a stereotyped style of furnish- 
ing as of a dress that has been often worn. What in the 

world shall I do with that black thing in L , in my new 

boudoir that is furnished in lilac with bronze ornaments ?’ ’ 

“ I, too, should have preferred a fresh bouquet : but y )u 
are not sentimental. Flora,’’ Henriette remarked, not without 
a shade of malice. Kitty, dressed in white to-day for the 
Cj-st time, was standing beside a beautiful myrtle-bush which 
the dean’s widow had reared herself and sent as her gift. 
The girl, with a sorrowful smile, passed her hand as if in a 
caress over its «hining tender leaves. No one appreciated 
this beautiful present, which it must have cost the giver a 
pang to resign. 

In the afternoon, also, the reception-rooms were open, for 
visitors were still coming with congratulations. The entire 
suite of these lower rooms, when opened, presented a charm- 
ing coup-d’oeil. The warm air blew in through the gilt 
bronze tracery of the balcony, bearing on its wings the odour 
of the lindens in the avenue and of the opening flowers 
on the lawn ; the golden May sunshine streamed through 
the high windows. In the crimson room alone it was power- 
less to awaken a single bright reflection. There all looked 
dark and cold as ever, — it seemed cruel to imprison all 
the lovely flowers upon the tables within those four dark 
walls. 

Henriette reclined in a rocking-chair opposite the open 
door of the balcony. She would have liked to look as like 
the May as Kitty, and her emaciated figure was enveloped 
in clouds of white muslin ; but she was cold, and had 
wrapped about her shoulders a soft white shawl of em- 
broidered crape, over which her abundant hair fell in rich 
waves; it had never been coiled up since her last attack. 


AT THE COUNCILLOR'S. 


22 \ 


Thus lying motionless in the flickering sunlight, with hei 
large dark -blue eyes wide open, shaded by their long dark 
lashes, and her snowy skin only near the temples tinged with 
faint carmine, she looked like a waxen doll. She had sent 
Kitty to the piano in the music-room, and was awaiting, with 
hands folded in her lap, the beginning of Schubert’s “ Lob 
der Thranen.” Suddenly the faint flush near her temples 
deepened to rose, and her clasped hands involuntarily sought 
her heart — Doctor Bruck entered the drawing-room. 

Flora flew towards him and hung upon his arm. She 
scarce gave him time to speak to the others, but drew him 
into her room to look at her birthday gifts. The beautiful 
woman who had endeavoured for so long to impress all with 
her learning and studious habits of research, to-day, on her 
twenty-ninth birthday, manifested the naive grace of a gin 
of sixteen, and was indeed, with her lovely animated face 
and supple lithe movements, charmingly youthful. 

Kitty stood by the music-stand, looking for the notes of 
the song, as the pair passed her on the way to Flora’s room. 
She looked around for an instant, to receive Bruck’s half- 
embarrassed bow, and then went on diligently with her 
search. 

“ Look, Leo, to-day I close with the past, wherein I erred 
so sadly and almost destroyed ;he happiness of my life,” Flora 
said, in her irresistibly sweet voice, as Kitty took from the 
shelf a thick portfolio of music. “ I would not recall the 
memory of that wretched evening, when I lost all self-control 
and, in my excitement and agitation, uttered words in whici 
my heart and soul had no share; but, for the truth’s sake, 
and because I owe it to myself, I must tell you that you too 
were wrong then in your adverse criticism of me. It was no 
desire for notoriety that drove me to authorship, bu^ true talent, 
— to speak plainly, genius. Ask me no further ! Z can assure 
you I could have made my way by my work. Woman,’ 


228 


AT THE COVNCILLOHS. 


which you have nearer seen. According to the verdict of 
competent judges, it is indeed calculated to win me name 
and fame in the world ; but how could I desire, by your side, 
to follow any path of my own, or to exercise any of my special 
gifts? No, Leo, I will bask solely in the light of your fame, 
as is fitting for a woman, and, in order that temptation may 
never in the future again assail me, these pages, the result cf 
diligent study and of the fount of poesy in my soul, must 
vanish from the world.” 

Kitty, who had just found the notes she had been seeking, 
turned at this moment to take her place at the piano. She 
saw Flora hold a lighted match to her manuscript, and throw 
it, blazing, into the fire-place. The beautiful woman turned 
her head towards the window where the doctor was standing ; 
perhaps she wished that he should make an attempt to hinder 
her from what she was doing; but no step was audible, no 
hand was extended to snatch the precious fuel from the flames. 
The smoke of the burning paper, borne on the wind of spring, 
floated into the music-room ; and as Flora, biting her under 
lip, and with a strange gleam in her eyes, stepped back from 
the fire-place, Kitty took her seat at the piano and began 
Liszt’s arrangement of the “ Lob der Thranen.” 

Kitty would not listen to Bruck’s reply ; it was terrible to 
her to be perpetually an involuntary witness of these scenes 
between the betrothed pair ; it would end in Bruck’s hating 
her. But she was indignant at the farce she had again seen 
played. The battered manuscript, repeatedly pronounced to 
be worthless by competent critics, had been dragged out 
once more, to play the part of a tragic sacrifice made by a 
high-minded woman, who thus in submission to a stern lord 
and master renounced the genius which she was aware she 
possessed. 

Through the melody that Kitty’s fingers evoked from the 
piano the girl couli hear a continuous murmur of sound, ir 


AT THE COUNCILLOR'S. 


229 


^hich she distinguished the grave tone of the doctor’s voice 
ilthough, to her great satisfaction, no distinct word was audi- 
ble. As she concluded, Flora entered the room to pass 
through to the balconied apartment. She no longer hung 
apon Bruck’s arm, but walked beside him with the princess’s 
bouquet in her hand, looking like a child who has been re- 
proved and dares not reply. Flora had found her master. 
She darted an angry glance towards her sister, whose hands 
were just lifted from the keys of the piano at the close of the 
piece. “ Thank heaven, you have done, Kitty !” she said, 
standing still. “You bang away so that I can scarcely hear 
my own voice. You see, you play your own little things very 
fairly, — they are nursery airs, without any depth ; but really 
you ought not to attempt Schubert or Liszt ; you have neither 
sufficient taste nor execution.” 

“ Henriette asked for that piece,” Kitty calmly replied, as 
she closed the instrument. “ I do not pretend to be a skilled 
musician ” 

“ No, my darling, indeed you do not ; you do not care to 
make people stare at your wonderful dexterity,” suddenly 
interrupted Henriette, appearing upon the threshold of the 
door as she spoke; “but never was there girl who could 
interpret Schubert as you can. Or does Flora think that the 
tears you bring to our eyes start entirely out of conventional 
politeness ?” 

“ They come from morbid nerves, nothing more !” replied 
Flora, laughing, as she followed the doctor into the drawing- 
r:)om, whither the Frau President had called him. 

The old lady was looking somewhat perplexed, as she sat 
with her eye-glass in one hand, and in the other a letter, 
which the servant had just brought her. “ Ah, my dearest 
Hofrath,” — she used this title as often as she possibly could, 
for the sound of it flattered her ear, — “ my friend Baroness 
Steiner writes me that she is coming here in a few days to 
20 


230 


AT THE COUNCILLOR'S. 


eonsult you. She is very anxious about her little grandson, 
the hope of the ancient family Von Brandau. The boy has 
limped a little for some time, and our most skilful physicians 
have searched in vain for the cause of the trouble. Will you 
examine the child, and take him in charge?” 

“ Certainly ; provided the lady does not make too great a 
demand upon my time.” He well knew how fond the high- 
born dame in question was of being waited for, and that she 
chose to have a cold in any one of her family respected as if 
it were a mortal illness. 

The Frau President was evidently offended at the indiffer- 
ence with which her request was treated ; she made no reply. 

“ The Baroness seems piqued by my recent postponement 
of her visit,” she said, addressing Flora; “this letter,” tap- 
ping it with her eye-glass, “ is full of satire ; if she had not 
been worried and anxious, she never would have written to 
me. I can hardly tell you how it pains me. Now she wishes 
to take rooms in the best hotel that can be found, where 
our Hofrath can visit her, and begs me at least to do her the 
favour to secure a suite of five apartments for her.” And as 
she spoke she cast an annihilating glance from beneath hei 
drooping eyelids towards the lovely girl in the white dress, 
who, standing opposite her, behind a large arm-chair, rested 
her arms upon the back of it, and grew alternately red and 
pale as she listened to what was, every word of it, intended aa 
a reproach for her. 

“ She might be very comfortable on the third floor, if she 
did not really need five rooms,” the Frau President continued 
“ But she must have a drawing-room for herself and her 
daughter Marie, a school-room for little Job von Braiidau 
and his governess, and three sleeping-rooms at the very least 
Of course she brings her maid.” Much out of humour, sh( 
leaned her head on her hand, in anxious reverie. 

“ All of which means that, during the visit of this preten 


AT THE COUNCILLOR’S. 


231 


tious Baroness, Kitty will be in the way,” Henriette angrily 
exclaimed. 

“ I have offered to go to the mill,” Kitty said, without a 
trace of irritation, as she passed her hand soothingly over 
Henriette’s hair. 

“ Oh, no ; I have thought of a far better plan, Kitty, if you 
must go/’ the invalid cried, with sparkling eyes. “We will 
b<^ the dean’s widow to give you her lovely spare room ; I 
know she will be delighted, for she fairly dotes upon you. 
Your piano can be taken over there, and I can go to you 

whenever I choose ” She stopped as her eyes met those of 

the doctor. He had turned away at first towards the window, 
but he looked around now with undeniable disapproval on his 
face, — he scarcely seemed like himself. 

“ I propose what seems to me far more fitting and practi- 
cable, that the boy and his governess shall be lodged in my 
house,” he said, coldly. 

The Frau President loosened the cloud of lace beneath 
her chin, and could not suppress a fleeting, ironical smile. 
‘That can scarcely be arranged, my dear Hofrath,” she re- 
plied. “ Nothing could induce my old friend to be separated 
from Job, and then — you have no idea what a spoiled child 
he is. Our own little prince is not so delicately brought up 
as this last and only scion of the Brandaus ; the poor, puny 
little creature is bedded in satin and down. Yes, those people 
think such luxuries only en r^gle. But we are put to it to 
make them comfortable.” 

“ And why, Leo, should you prefer to give your aunt the 
trouble of having that little monster — the petted scion of the 
Von Brandaus is positively the naughtiest and most good-for- 
nothing little wretch in the world — in her house ?” Henrietta 
indignantly asked ; her nerves were in just the irritated statt 
that prompted her to say what she might hereafter regret 
“ What has Kitty done to you? It has pained me for somf 


232 


AT THE COUNCILLOR'S. 


time to see how unjust you are to her. Do you despise hei 
because her grandfather was the castle miller ? You hardly 
ever speak to her ; and it is ridiculous, for at all events she is 
Flora’s sister. She is the only one of us who never addresses 
you by your Christian name.” 

“ My dear,” Flora interrupted her, “ I have long objected 
to that familiar address, and if my wishes were consulted, no 
one would use it. To tell the truth, I grudge an iota of my 
right to any one else. With regard to yourself, Henriette, I 
let it pass ; but I really entreat that Kitty may not allow herself 
such a liberty.” And she put her hand within the doctor’s 
arm and looked tenderly up in his face. 

Embarrassed, perhaps, by this public display of affection, or 
irritated by Henriette’ s reproof, the doctor started as if the 
white hand had been an odious reptile, and his colour changed. 

Kitty turned to leave the room. She could have burst 
into tears of wounded feeling, but she bravely endured hei 
pain and maintained a calm demeanour. Just as she reached 
the door, it opened, and the councillor entered. She forgot for 
the moment the dislike she had felt for him of late, remem- 
bering only that he was her guardian and stood in a father’s 
place with regard to her, and as a result of this she lightly laid 
her hand on his arm in greeting. 

He looked surprised, but with a satisfied smile and an arch 
twinkle in his eyes he pressed the little hand to his heart. 
His own hands were not free : they held a small chest, which 
he placed upon the table by which the Frau President was 
sitting. His entrance interrupted a most painful scene, and 
Henriette, who had been the cause of it, could have fallen 
upon his neck in gratitude to him for the easy, happy tone 
which he adopted in his unconsciousness. 

“ Now I am content ; my birthday gift for you. Flora, has 
come at last,” he said. “ My Berlin agent accuses the manu- 
facturers of the delay in its arrival.” He lifted the cover. 


AT THE COUNCILLOR'S. 


233 


“ Apropos, I have another birthday pleasure for you,” he 
added, with a gay, jesting air, “ I have just heard that you 
are avenged, — the leader of the attack upon you in the forest, 
she of the menacing nails, has been sentenced to-day to a con- 
siderable term of imprisonment ; the others, who were either 
very young or misled by her, have escaped with a reprimand.” 

“ I cannot think that your news will really give Flora anj 
pleasure,” cried Henriette; “of course such offences must not 
go unpunished, and it can do that fierce Megaera no harm to be 
shut up alone for a while ; but there was something so terrible 
for us all in that whole adventure, it is so dreadful to be so 
hated, that I wish you had said nothing about it, Moritz.” 

“ Do you think so ?” Flora asked, with a laugh. “ Moritz 
knows me better ; he knows I am quite above being moved 
by it, and would not stir a finger for the sake of popularity. 
And you were the same a while ago, Henriette. 1 should like 
to know what you would have said eight months ago if any 
one in our circle had advocated the rights of the people ; all 
that was entirely beneath your notice. But since Kitty has 
been here, such questions and discussions are the order of 
the day on the third floor, to such a degree that one stands 
abashed in presence of such Spartan virtue and feminine hero- 
ism. I should not wonder if Kitty had already been searching 
her cook-book for recipes for nourishing soups to keep the 
culprit strong in her confinement.” 

“ No, not that,” Kitty bravely replied, looking full into the 
beautiful and impertinent face turned towards her ; “ but I 
have made inquiries about her family. She has four little 
children, and her unmarried brother, who was one of Moritz’s 
workmen and helped to provide for the fatherless little ones, 
has been lying ill for a long time. Of course these five help- 
less creatures must not suffer ; and I have undertaken to pro- 
vide for them as long as they are thus destitute.” 

The councillor turned round, and a remonstrance Re»med 
20 * 


234 


AT THE COUNCILLOR'S. 


hoveriog upon his lips. “ Yes, Moritz,” the young girl said, 
hastily, at such moments I have less horror of my grand- 
father’s hoards.” 

The Frau President pushed back her chair impatiently. 
This “maudlin sentimentality” was beyond a jest. “These 
are most extraordinary statements and strangely perverted 
views of life and the world ! Wealth could not possibly lall 
into more dangerous hands,” she cried. “ Yes, my dear Hof- 
rath, I Sde you look in wonder at the hand now laid so 
beseechingly on Moritz’s arm because he would fain restrain 
it from such wilful expenditure.” 

Kitty instantly withdrew her hand. She saw the doctor 
gloomily avert his gaze, but he made no reply to the Frau 
President’s remark. 

“ Ah, grandmamma, that was surely no glance of disap- 
proval,” Flora cried, as she watched suspiciously the changing 
colour on the doctor’s cheek. “ Brucfc always was a kind of 
enthusiast for the lower classes ” 

“ He surely is so no longer, my child, — now that he fre- 
quents the court and enjoys the prince’s most distinguished 
regard.” 

“ And why should such intercourse undermine my princi- 
ples ?” the doctor asked, with apparent composure, although 
his voice sounded uncertain, as if he were undergoing a mental 
struggle. 

“ Grood heavens ! you would not ally yourself with the 
revolutionary party — with those social democrats ?” the Frau 
President cried, in dismay. 

“ I think I have already explained several times that, for very 
humanity’s sake, I belong to none of these extreme parties. 
I endeavour to preserve that clear judgment which party hate 
is sure to cloud, and which is most desirable if one wishes to 
labour for the true weal of his fellow-mortals.” 

Meanwhile, the councillor had been busy unpacking th^- 


AT THE COUNCILLOR'S. 


235 


chest. He especially disliked to have any topic touched upon 
the discussion of which might endanger the peace of his house- 
hold. He now unfolded a piece of rich maize-coloured satin ana 
another of violet velvet. “ A couple of toilettes for your first 
d4but as the wife of a distinguished professor,” he said to Flora. 

His end was gained. The splendour of the stuffs was too 
attractive for female eyes; even Henriette forgot her irritation 
mi sight of a couple of exquisite fans, and some boxes of arti- 
ficial flowers from Paris. But the contents of the chest were 
aot yet exhausted. “ The other ladies of my household must 
not go empty-handed, especially since I am to be at home now 
for some time and shall have no other opportunity of bringing 
them gifts,” the councillor continued. 

The Frau President, with a gracious smile, accepted a costly 
lace shawl, and Henriette a white silk dress, while into Kitty's 
reluctant hand the councillor, with a peculiarly significant 
glance, put a tolerably large morocco case. 

This glance aroused in an instant in the girl’s soul a perfect 
tempest of emotion, calling into life all the aversion that had 
of late stirred within her towards her guardian and brother- 
in-law. No, no, a thousand times no, — he should not gaze at 
her thus, as if together they shared a secret which none else 
might know ; once for all, she would put a stop to this. 
Shame, annoyance, and an almost irresistible desire openly to 
proclaim her aversion now before every one, filled her soul 
and were mirrored on her face, although its changing expres- 
sion was misunderstood. 

“ Well, Kitty, is it such a novelty for you to receive a pres- 
ent ?” asked Flora. “ What has Moritz given you ? We 
must be told the sweet secret some time. Let me see it, child.” 
She took the case as it was nearly dropping upon the floor, 
and pressed the spring that opened the lid. A crimson light 
flashed from the stones forming the necklace that lay inside 
upon black velvet. 


236 


AT THE COUNCILLOR A. 


The Frau President put up her eye-glass. “ Superbly set ^ 
almost too artistically antique for imitation, although modem 
fashion certainly sanctions its being worn. This paste is un- 
commonly clear and sparkling.” She negligently extended her 
hand for the case, that she might more conveniently examine 
its contents. 

“ Paste ?” the councillor repeated, much piqued. “ How, 
grandmamma, can you accuse me of such want of taste ? Is 
there a thread here that is not genuine?” He passed his 
hand over the pile of glistening silks. “ You ought to know 
that I never purchase imitations.” 

The Frau President bit her lip. “ I do know it, Moritz ; 
but really in this case I am astounded, — these are such rubies 
as even our beloved princess does not possess.” 

“Then I am sorry that the prince cannot afford to give 
them to her,” the councillor rejoined, with a conceited smile. 
“I certainly should be ashamed to present Kitty with a 
valueless gift, — Kitty, who in a couple of years will be her 
own mistress and will be able to buy as many jewels as she 
pleases. Any imitation would then be tossed contemptuously 
aside.” 

“ I agree with you there,” the Frau President remarked, 
ironically. “ Kitty has a decided preference for the solid and 
expensive, — witness the heavy silks which she always wears. 
But, my child,” and she turned to the young girl, who liad 
folded her trembling hands again on the back of the chair by 
which she stood, and made no motion to possess herself of the 
jewels, “ a knowledge of how to dress one’s self must be the 
result of taste, acquired by intercourse with people of refine- 
ment. Such gorgeous stones are not befitting your eighteen 
years ; a plain cross or locket is more becoming so youthful a 
neck. The most you should wear would be a simple coral or 
pearl necklace.” 

“ But Kitty will not always be eighteen or always a girl, 


AT THE COUNCILLOR’S. 


237 


grandmamma,” Flora exclaimed. “ We know that well enough, 
— eh, Kitty?” 

The young girl’s eyes flashed indignantly at the air and 
tone of the •speaker. She turned proudly away to depart 
without a word. 

“ Only see how dignified the child can look !” Flora said, 
with a forced laugh. She could not succeed in quite conceal- 
ing her vexation. “ She behaves as if my harmless trifling 
had betrayed a state secret. Is it a crime, then, to want to be 
married ? Nonsense, you little prude ! Never deny in public 
what may be confessed in confidential moments.” She ran 
her fingers over the sparkling rubies with a mischievous and 
significant glance at the councillor. “Yes, Moritz, this cer- 
tainly is a necklace fit only for — the wife of a millionaire.” 

The Frau President now arose, hastily gathered up her 
letters and her eye-glass, and drew her scarf over her shoul- 
ders to leave the room. “I hope you will never falter in 
your love of the genuine, my dear Moritz,” she said, coldly. 
“ The champagne in which we drank Flora’s health to-day was 
wanting in that quality ; it has given me a headache. 1 
must lie down for a while.” 

At the door she turned once more. “ When I have re- 
freshed myself a little, I must beg you to come to some conclu- 
sion,” she said, holding out a letter to the councillor. “ Eead 
that, and you will see that the Baroness must not be put off and 
offended a second time. I yielded the other day for the sake 
of peace, but indeed I cannot submit so entirely again. People 
of position really cannot be pulled about like puppets and 
shaken off at pleasure. Bemember that, I beg you, Moritz.” 

She left the room with a stately inclination and an air of 
severe dignity. 


238 


AT THE COUNCILLOR'S. 


CHAPTER XIX. 

“ You will have hard work, Moritz,” said Flora, pointio^ 
towards the door through which the Frau President had van 
ished. “ Grandmamma is evidently on her mettle and armed 
to the teeth.” 

The councillor laughed gaily. 

“ Well, well,” Flora continued, “ you will see whether she 
will yield one inch of the authority you have allowed her 
to exert so absolutely. I have warned you repeatedly ; now 

see ” She suddenly interrupted herself, and anxiously 

seized Bruck’s hand. “ For heaven’s sake, tell me, Leo, what 
is the matter with you?” she cried, passionately. “ You are 
struggling with some grief which you would conceal from me. 
Ah, you cannot deceive me ! Here, and here” — she passed her 
white fingers across his forehead, that flushed to the roots of 
his hair — “ I see lines that distress me. You are working 
too hard. After to-day, I shall take the liberty of sending 
one of the servants every day to your house in town to deny 
you positively to that tiresome crowd, who, after defaming you 
in every possible way, are killing you with their importunity.” 

Henriette stared at the speaker like one dismayed, and the 
councillor cleared his throat and stroked his delicate mous- 
tache to conceal a slight sneer, while the doctor, whose face 
had hitherto maintained a rigid composure, smiled a faint 
smile of bitter contempt. “ That you will certainly not do, 
Flora,” he said, in a peremptory tone. “ I must decidedly 
forbid any interference with my practice, either at present or 
in future. Just now,” and he turned to the councillor, “ 1 
have a word to say to you on behalf of a very sick man, quite 


AT THE COUNCILLOR’S. 


239 


broken down physically and mentally by violent business 
excitement ; will you let me speak with you alone?” 

“ A very sick man ?” the councillor repeated, dubiously. 
He knitted his brows, and the lines about his mouth grew 
hard and pitiless. “ Oh, yes ; I know whom you mean, — that 
hair-brained fellow Lenz. The man has been speculating in 
the wildest way, and wants me to save him from ruin. No, T 
thank you.” 

“ Will you not wait until we are alone to discuss it ?” the 
doctor asked, with emphasis. “ At present you and I are the 
poor man’s only confidants with regard to his terrible situa- 
tion ; even his wife does not know of it ” 

“ Well, well, I will hear how far you are able to plead for 
him, but I hardly think I can hold out even a finger to save 
him. It is a hopeless affair, I tell you.” He shrugged his 
shoulders. The sudden accumulation of wealth was fast 
making the really kind-hearted man hard and cruel ; he found 
it quite impossible to sympathize with a fellow-mortal beset 
by torturing cares. “ You, of all men, should be the last to 
say a word for him, — he was one of the most violent of your 
accusers.” 

‘‘ Ought that really to influence me ?” Bruck asked, gravely, 
as he prepared to accompany the councillor into an adjoining 
room. The man of science looked at this moment immeasur- 
ably the superior of the mere moneyed man beside him. 

The three sisters were left alone. Flora rang for her maid 
to take away the councillor’s gifts, and Kitty took up her 
parasol. 

“ Are you going out, Kitty ?” asked Henrietta, who was 
again seated in ber rocking-chair. 

“ To-day is a class-day at the Frau Dean’s ; I am late, and 

must hurry ” The young girl paused involuntarily,- - 

Flora’s face had grown so dark and angry. 

“ T cannot express how your conduct disgusts me,” Flora 


240 


AT THE COUNCILLOR'S. 


said, peevishly. “ The dean’s widow, personification that 
she is of duty, stern duty, declined my invitation to cofiee 
to-day because those wretched little things from the lowest 
quarter of the town could not on any account be sent away 
without their instruction ; and Kitty sets off to second her 
efforts, with an air of the most righteous devotion to the wel- 
fare of humanity.” 

She bit her lips, and waited until the maid had left the room, 
when she turned and laid a detaining hand on Kitty’s arm. 
“ Patience for a moment I Let me tell you that your conduct 
forces me to play a part insufferably wearisome to me. Sep- 
tember is still far off. Of course the dean’s widow expects 
her nephew’s betrothed to exercise the same heroic self-sacri- 
fice practised by her model sister. I am to take those children’s 
dirty fingers in mine and patiently initiate them stitch by stitch 
into the mysteries of knitting and netting. I am to wash their 
faces, comb their hair, and play games with the little wretches 
by the hour. I have tried it ; ugh ! And if I fail to do it, 
his aunt’s complaints stamp me in Bruck’s eyes as a kind of 
monster, an unwomanly, heartless creature, who does not love 
children. For this reason, in view of my rights in the matter, 
I forbid now and in future this kind of intercourse on your 
part in the house of my future husband. Do you hear?” 

“ I hear, but I shall nevertheless continue to follow the 
dictates of my own conscience,” Kitty replied, calmly, freeing 
her arm from her sister’s grasp. “ Your rights which you 
once scorned, and in my presence declared yourself weary 
of- ” 

“ Yes, yes !” Henriette interrupted, suddenly standing by 
Kitty’s side in defiance of her arrogant sister. 

“ These rights I in no wise interfere with, as I am fully 
conscious,” Kitty continued. “ Matters must stand ill with 
you. Flora, when you see in the kindly actions of others a 
hostile element, that can imperil your position ” 


AT THE COUNCILLOR’S. 


241 


“Imperil?” Flora repeated, clapping her hands, with a 
laugh. “ Dearest and wisest of young moralists, you are under 
a slight mistake. Love that could pass unha.rmed through 
the fiery trial which I intentionally prepared for it can be 
imperilled by nothing in this world.” 

“ Too true,” Henriette murmured, in a sad, subdued tone. 
“ It needs all my remembrance of Brack’s former firmness of 
purpose and true manliness to prevent his appearing to me 
now utterly weak.” 

“ Of course,” Flora continued, noticing Henriette’s remark 
only by a slight shrug, “ I am speaking merely with regard to 
the time between now and September, during which courtesy 
prompts me to make every concession to the dean’s widow. 

In L everything will be different : matters will arrange 

themselves, and Brack will find in the first weeks of our mar- 
riage that such a wife as his aunt would choose for him would 
be not only an insupportable burden, but an actual impossi- 
bility. When he sees me presiding in society he will acknowl- 
edge my superiority, — he will enjoy the lustre that my ease 
and grace as mistress of his household shed upon his distin- 
guished position, when he finds that my holding aloof from 
housekeeping cares entails no pecuniary sacrifice on his part. 
I have calculated everything, and find that besides my pin- 
money I shall have quite suf&cient income to pay out of my 
own pocket the wages of a housekeeper and capital cook.” 

As she spoke, she looked at her nails with a smile, and 
then turned aside with a haughty bend of her head. The 
bill mirror reflected a face and figure of dazzling beauty, but 
it was impossible to imagine that woman bending in love and 
anxiety over the couch of a sick child, or engaged in the 
thousand ofl&ces of affection and care to which the true wife 
and mother is prompted by the loftiest impulses of her nature. 

Her gaze wandered from the contemplation of her own love- 
liness to the girl clad in white standing before the blue velvet 
Q 21 


242 


AT THE COUNCILLORS. 


portiere, that brought into relief the youthful beauty of hei 
figure, the incomparable freshness and delicacy of her colour 
beneath the heavy plaits of hair that crowned a face in which 
the dark eyes shone like stars. If in Flora was seen the 
woman of intellect who had already attempted to pierce the 
mystery of existence, her youngest sister was the type of maid- 
enly innocence and spotless purity. Perhaps this disjileased 
her, for she smiled and nodded scornfully at the young girl’s 
reflection in the mirror. 

“ Yes, yes, little one, you will not long preserve that modest- 
violet air, and the domestic duties which Lukas has in her 
exaggerated ideas of this world so foolishly insisted upon your 
performing, will be as much out of place in your sphere of life 
as in mine. Moritz will never endure the jangle of a bunch of 
keys at your girdle, — rely upon that, even although he should 
gallantly promise you ten poultry-yards. He, with his brand- 
new stamp of rank, will insist more upon the aristocratic 
whiteness and softness of his wife’s hands than does our most 
gracious prince himself.'’ 

Long before she had flnished Kitty had moved, with a blush, 
to where the mirror no longer reflected her image. “ What 
do Moritz’s views upon the subject matter to me ?” she asked, 
half turning round, while she looked in inquiring surprise at 
her sister. 

“ Oh, Flora, Flora, how can you be so thoughtless ?” Hen- 
ri ette exclaimed, with a timid glance towards Kitty’s expressive 
fiice. 

“ Nonsense ! Moritz will be very grateful to me for break- 
ing ground for him. And do you suppose Kitty has not 
known all about it this long time? Never was there a girl jvei 
fifteen whose nerves of sensibility were not electrically aware 
of a man’s preference for her. Whoever denies it is either 
stupid or a refined coquette.” Again she contemplated her- 
self in the mirror, and pulled the curls lower over her brow 


AT THE COUNCILLOR'S. 


243 


‘‘ Any one who has observed our youngest’s confiding, cling- 
ing manner in a certain direction cannot well be mistaken ; 
eh, Kitty, — ^you understand me ?” And from beneath her 
raised arm she smiled archly at her sister. 

“ No, I do not understand you,” the girl replied, hastily; 
an undefined mixture of indignation and intuitive dislike 
stirring within her. 

“ Come, Kitty, let us go,” said Henriette, passing her arm 
around her sister’s waist, to draw her towards the door. “ I 
cannot bear this !” she added, angrily. 

“ Nonsense ! do not be vexed, Henriette,” laughed Flora, 
holding out the jewel-case to Kitty. “ Here, my child ; do 
not leave this here, where the servants are coming and going 
continually.” 

Like a child, Kitty involuntarily put her hands behind her. 
“ Moritz must take them back,” she said, decidedly. “ Your 
grandmother is quite right ; — it is an unsuitable gift ; such a 
necklace would not become my neck.” 

“ And you expect me to believe in such naive uncon- 
sciousness ?” Flora asked, as if quite out of patience. “ Such 
affectation is absurd in a. girl of your age. There is the lace 
shawl that Moritz gave grandmamma ; — she scorns it ; she is 
more sensitive than your sisters, who think it very natural that 
your gift should outvalue theirs fourfold, — and you pretend 
not to understand why ? Ho not be ridiculous ! You hear 
the hammering yonder in the pavilion every day from morn 
iog until night. The entire household, down to the very 
workmen, know that a home is being arranged there for grand- 
mamma, so that the councillor’s young wife may preside here 
alone. Well, little innocence, shall I speak still more plainly?” 

Hitherto the young girl had stood motionless, following her 
sister’s words with a dawning comprehension of their meaning, 
as if some dangerous serpent were slowly uncoiling its slimy 
folds in her presence. But now her lip curled in a proud 


244 


AT THE COUNCILLOR'S. 


smile. “ Do not trouble yourself, — at last I understand you,” 
she said, slowly, her astonishment revealing itself in the clear 
ring of her voice. “ You have gone about it far more wisely 
than did your grandmother to make my further stay in this 
house impossible.” 

“ Kitty !” Henriette exclaimed. “ No, there you are wrong 
Flora has been heedless and thoughtless, but she never meant 
that.” She went close to her sister’s side and looked tenderly 
in her face. “ And why should such words drive you away 
from the house, Kitty ?” she asked, in a caressing but anxious 
whisper. “ Are you really unconscious of the love so un- 
equivocally displayed for you ? See, I have often wished for 
death, — hut if it were possible that you should ever be mistress 
here in our father’s house, I could ” 

Kitty extricated herself impatiently from the encircling arm. 
“ Never !” she cried, shaking her head indignantly, her whole 
maidenly soul in revolt against the consciousness to which she 
had been so suddenly and rudely awakened. 

“ Indeed, — never ?” Flora repeated. “ Perhaps the^ar^i is 
not sufficiently distinguished, eh ? You are waiting for some 
needy count or prince, who, after the fashion of the day, will 
come to release, not Dornrbschen herself, hut her money-bags 
from the spell. Well, the present time is by no means poor 
in such marriages ! And we know, too, how that unfortunate 
incumbrance, the wife, usually fares. If you would hear per- 
petually how your grandfather drove the mill-wagon and your 
grandmother went barefoot, then marry into some nohle fam- 
ily. I really should like to know what you find to object to 
in Moritz, or rather what can justify you in rejecting his hand. 
You are very wealthy, to be sure, but we know where your 
money came from. You are young, but no beauty, child; 
and as for your talent, which you well know how to bring for- 
ward, it is but a spark assiduously fanned into a little flame 
by ambitious teachers, and will soon be extinguished when 


AT THE COUNCILLORS. 


245 


they can no longer look to you for the rich reward of their 
services.” 

“ Flora !” Henriette interrupted her. 

“ Be quiet ! I speak in your interest now,” Flora continued, 
dismissing her remonstrance with a decided wave of her hand. 
“ Perhaps, Kitty, you think Moritz ought to display a more 
I assionate affection for you. My dear child, he is a middle- 
aged man, who has long outlived a school-girl’s romantic idea 
of love. It is, besides, a question whether you will ever be 
loved for yourself alone, — that must always be a question in the 
case of such an heiress. I cannot understand you. Hitherto 
you have devoted yourself to the care of an invalid, as any 
confirmed old maid might have done, because — ^well, apparently 
because no one desired you to do so ; and now, when Henriette 
makes her future existence dependent upon your remaining 
here, you wish to go. For my part, I should be far more 

content in L if I knew that you had our sister in charge ; 

and as for Bruck, you have just had a proof, poor child, of 
how little there is of sympathy between you, — ^he prefers to 
have that spoiled boy Job Brandau beneath his roof, to your 
constant presence there ; but, nevertheless, I am sure that, 
since he is obliged to leave his patient here, he would like to 
know that she has some one with her whom she really loves.” 

Henriette, pale as ashes, leaned against the wall, incapable 
of speech, so great was her distress at Flora’s ruthless and 
heartless enumeration of everything that could humiliate and 
wound her sister’s heart. Kitty, however, had entirely re- 
covered her self-possession. 

“ We two will discuss this alone, Henriette,” she said, 
calmly; but the lips with which she touched the invalid’s 
brow quivered, and the fingers that clasped Henriette’s thin 
hand were cold as ice. “ Go to your room now, I pray you;” 
she looked at her watch ; “ it is time foi' you to take your 
drops. I will come back shortly.” 

21 * 


246 


AT THE COUNCILLOR'S. 


She left the room without looking again at Flora. 

“ Conceited as ever ! I verily believe she is offended a4 
being thought no beauty, and thinks that such men as Bruck 
should follow in her train,” the beautiful woman said, ironi- 
cally. Then, while Henriette silently gathered up and carried 
away her gift and the jewel-casket, she passed on, humming a 
gay air, to the room whither the two gentlemen had with- 
drawn, and, tapping lightly at the door, called to them that it 
was very impolite to leave the heroine of the day alone for so 
long a time. 


CHAPTER XX. 

For a long while Kitty wandered aimlessly in the park, 
through its quiet leafy alleys to its most secret recesses. She 
did not wish, in her present agitated state, to meet the obser- 
vant eyes of the dean’s widow ; she knew the old lady would 
question her, and if she confessed the cause of her distress 
she would probably learn that her old friend also desired her 
marriage with the councillor. Upon this point every one was 
against her. Flora, Henriette, the doctor. Egotism ruled each 
and all of them, she now comprehended. But she would not 
be imprisoned in the gilded cage ; she would escape them all. 
Her thoughts were full of bitterness as she paused, wearily, 
before the ruin, which she had reached in her walk. The sun 
was low in the heavens; its declining rays bathed in purple 
and gold the clouds, the dark forest of firs in the distance, 
and the encircling water on either side of the hill. The 
mound, crowned with the tower, stood out from the glittering 
background like a monument of black marble, and the group 
of chestnuts in full leaf showed like a many-pointed silhouette, 


AT THE COUNCILLOR'S. 247 

through which gleamed here and there the glow of colour in 
the western sky. 

The young girl gazed moodily at the picture across the 
water. There, where the heavy silken curtains fell like a dark 
crimson blood-stain behind the huge panes of glass, stood the 
Jetested safe. Hitherto she had feared it, but to-day she hated 
those four iron walls that had thrust her own individuality aside 
to stand in the stead of a girl filled with youthful hopes and 
desires and a profound longing for the true happiness of life* 
When lovers sued for her hand, their tender glances were foi 
the monster that dogged her steps ; they wooed the heiress i# 
her. This was the attraction for Councillor von Romer ; the 
wealthy man wished to be still wealthier. Certainly no worm 
gnawing at the core of a delicious fruit could be more perni- 
cious than this ever-recurring torturing thought which Flora 
had wantonly cast into the virgin soil of her sister’s mind. 

And below, at the foot of the tower, yawned the dark cave 
where the rich man’s costly wines seethed and sparkled in 
flasks and casks. Only lately the councillor had taken the 
Frau President and his three sisters-in-law through the cellar. 
He had just increased the precious stock, and it was all 
ranged carefully in the huge vaults that burrowed deep into 
the hill on all sides of the tower. 

The air was cool and dry below there ; the tiled floor shone 
as if polished ; not a grain of dust, not a cobweb, could be seen 
upon the stone ribs of the mighty arches, and the glasses on 
the shelves, the green for hock, the clear for champagne, were 
bright as crystal ; it was easy to see that no more care was 
expended on the drawing-rooms than upon these subterranean 
halls. And where the finest wine was stored, where only a 
faint glimmer of daylight pierced the vaulted gloom, in the very 
darkest corner, stood the two barrels of historic gunpowder, 
in such complete preservation that Kitty had lately declared 
with a laugh that she was sure they must be renewed fron: 


248 THE COUNCILLORS. 

time to time, like the famous ink-spot at the Wartburg. She 
never liked this corner ; she could not understand how the 
rich man could endure it night and day beneath his feet ; and 
when her fancy conjured up the ghostly ancestress of the Von 
Baumgartens gliding hither and thither with her gleaming 
torch, she shuddered with horror. 

Her gaze wandered over the blackened pile ; one single 
s})ark alighting there below, and the old tower, built for eter- 
nity though it seemed, would burst asunder, and everything 
of price or value that human hands had there treasured up 
would be dispersed abroad in atoms ; those iron walls would 
be broken down, and the papers, to which clung the curses of 
the poor, be scattered to the winds. 

She shrank from the thought, and yet thus her own per- 
sonality might be delivered from the golden mask that excited 
the greed of the avaricious. Horrified at the picture of de- 
struction which her imagination had conjured up, she had cov- 
ered her eyes with her hands, and now, letting them drop, she 
looked up with a deep-drawn sigh into the golden air above 
the tower, where Henriette’s doves were wheeling, while be- 
fore the window in the steep wall, that bore upon its top the 
last remnants of the stately colonnade, hung the thrush’s cage 
belonging to the councillor’s servant. Rosemary and mari- 
golds were blooming upon the window-sill, from which drooped 
a green curtain of wild hop-vines. The little bird was sing- 
ing at the top of his voice, incited thereto by the flapping of 
the doves’ wings, while the deer had come noiselessly down 
the grassy incline and were gazing across the water at the tall, 
•ilender mortal whose fancies had been so terrible, so full of 
despair. 

The deer and the doves knew her well, — the young girl used 
often to feed them with crumbs and biscuit ; but to-day she 
only took a silent leave of them, although the doves were 
alighting on the grass on the other side of the bridge, and the 


AT THE COUNCILLOR'S. 


249 


boldest of them were venturing across it, looking for the ac- 
customed food. Kitty walked along the bank of the stream, 
and soon heard the merry voices of children mingling with 
the murmur of its waters. The Frau Dean’s little pupils were 
still at play in the gardc.-n, and in spite of the girl’s depression 
of spirits, in spite of her mental suffering, the source of which 
she hardly understood herself, the sound brought a sensation 
of pleasure to her soul. Those little creatures, with their in- 
nocent eyes and happy hearts, did not love her as the heiress ; 
they did not even know of the existence of the iron safe ; they 
took gratefully their simple evening meal, and hardly asked 
whence it came. To them she was the dear “ Fraulein Kitty,” 
whose words of praise they strove to win, to whose ear they 
confided the troubled confession of childish wrong committed 
or childish injustice endured. Here at least she was loved, — 
honestly loved for herself alone. 

She hastened her steps ; the nearer she drew to the house 
the more it seemed to her that she was returning to her true 
home. The maid appeared between th'e two poplars that 
stood on either side of the bridge, and walked, basket on arm, 
towards the town to make her evening purchases. She, too, 
was a faithful creature, whose services were not all rendered 
merely for the sake of money ; her good-natured, honest face 
seemed to belong of right to the household in the modest 
house by the river. 

As Kitty crossed the bridge the children were not in sight : 
they were playing behind the house ; the watch-dog greeted 
her with a lazy fiap of his tail as he lay at the door of his 
kennel. He had long been her good friend, and his char- 
acter had undergone such a change for the better that the 
yellow hen was allowed to parade the green within an inch of 
his nose without molestation. 

The house-door stood wide open, and, as the maid was ab- 
sent, the dean’s widow was probably within. Kitty was just 

L* 


250 


AT THE COUNCILLOR'S. 


ascending the steps, when she heard the doctor speaking in the 
hall. She stood as if rooted to the spot. 

“No. aunt; the noise wearies me. I have this constant 
trouble in my head,” he said. “ If I have a moment to spend 
in this green retreat, I wish to rest. I need rest, — rest!” 
Was that voice, trembling with nervous impatience and sup- 
pressed pain, really his? “I know, aunt, that what I ask of 
you is a sacrifice, but nevertheless I implore you to suspend 
your classes during the few months of my remaining here. I 
will gladly hire a room in town and engage a teacher for the 
time, so that your pupils may not lose anything ” 

“ Oh, my dear Leo, you know you have only to speak the 
word,” his aunt interrupted him. “ How could I suspect that 
my classes had suddenly grown so wearisome to you? You 
shall never hear another sound from them, — I will take care 
of that. I am sorry only on one account, — Kitty ” 

“ Always that girl 1” the doctor exclaimed, as if his aunt’s 
gentle mention of that name had destroyed the last remnant 
of his patience and self-control. “You never think of me.” 

“Dear Leo, what do you mean? I verily believe you 
are jealous of your old aunt’s afiection,” the old lady said, in 
surprise. 

He did not reply; the girl outside heard him advance to 
wards the hall-door. 

“ My poor Kitty ! It is impossible that her noiseless benefi- 
cence, her kindly presence, should be disagreeable to any man 
on earth,” his aunt said, following him. “ I have never seen 
a girl who combined such childlike innocence with so much 
womanly dignity, such keenness of intellect with such kindness 
of heart. I am irresistibly attracted by her ; and I cannot 
believe that my Leo can be so unjust as to deny merit to any 
woman save to the one whom he adores as his future wife.” 

Kitty started ; the doctor burst into a laugh, so bitter, so 
loud, that she recoiled in terror. Involuntarily she turned to 


AT THE COUNCILLORS. 


251 


flee ; no, she would remain, — she was the cause of that scorn- 
ful laugh, — she would hear how the doctor would refute his 
aunt’s good opinion of her, undeserved though it were. 

“You are wont to be keen-sighted, aunt, but here you fail 
lamentably,” he said, pausing suddenly in his inharmonious 
laughter. “ Let it go ! I shall not dispute what you say ; 
why should I? I have but one request to make of you: that 
until my departure we may be together as we have been 
hitherto, — alone. You used to be content without other 
society than mine; try to be so again during the few months 
of my stay here. I do not wish to have any one coming and 
going.” 

“Not even Kitty?” 

A sound as of an impatient stamp of the foot upon the 
sanded tiles of the hall-floor reached the young girl’s ears. 
“ Good heavens, aunt, will you force me to — : — ” he exclaimed, 
angrily : the voice was hardly to be recognized as- his. 

“God forbid, Leo! everything shall be as you wish,” the 
old lady interrupted him, terrified, and yet attempting no con- 
cealment of her regret. “ I will do all that I can to banish 
her as kindly as possible, that she may not suffer more than 
is necessary. But how agitated you are, Leo, and how your 
hand burns! You are ill. You are wearing yourself out for 
your patients. At least you shall have repose here in your own 
home rely upon it! Let me mix you a glass of lemonade.” 

He thanked her, but refused the proffered kindness. Kitty 
heard the aunt go towards the kitchen, probably to arrange 
the evening meal, and immediately afterwards the doctor ap 
[•eared at the liall-door 


252 


AT THE COUNCILLORS. 


CHAPTER XXL 

Just outside stood tlie young girl, leaning against the dooi^ 
frame; pale, and with a hard, determined gaze, she looked 
abroad beyond the man at her side into the empty air, — she 
wc uld not see him. 

He recoiled at sight of her, then stood for one moment 
speechless before her motionless figure. “Kitty!” he called, 
softly, in the anxious, hesitating tone of one who seeks to 
arouse another from some heavy, troubled dream. 

She drew herself up to her full height, and slowly descended 
the steps. “What do you wish. Doctor Bruck?” she asked, 
over her shoulder, when she stood upon the grass below. She 
might have been some automaton, but for the indignant light 
that flamed in her eyes. 

He blushed like a girl, and approached her. “ You heard — ” 
he asked, with hesitation, but with intense eagerness. 

“Yes,” she interrupted him, with a bitter smile, “ every 
word. Another reason why you should rid your house of in- 
trusive strangers, — the walls have ears.” She moved away 
from the steps, as if to be quite clear of the threshold she was 
no more to cross. 

Meanwhile he had recovered himself ; he threw his hat upon 
a garden-table near, and stood erect before her, no longer 
blushing, but with an air of relief, as if matters had taken a 
wished-for turn, and chance had come to aid him. “ Fear cf 
being overheard has no part in what I have been telling my 
aunt. This quiet home has no secrets, and those which one 
must imprison in his own breast will not escape, even where 
the walls have no ears,” he said, with calm gravity. “ You 
heard every word, — you know, then, that only the desire for 


AT THE COUNCILLOR'S. 


253 


present rest induces me to ask for undisturbed quiet. Unfor- 
tunately, I must resign any attempt to justify my rude egotism. 
You certainly cannot conceive that there are those who are 
perpetually fleeing from thoughts and — images; but per- 
haps you may more easily imagine the angry pain, the torture 
of a man so fleeing, who, hurrying exhausted to his home, 
finds there just what he seeks to escape,” 

As he spoke, he had approached her more nearly, and she 
now looked him keenly and inquiringly in the face. Yes, he 
was in earnest ; he not only described this torture, he felt it at 
this very moment; his strangely disordered glance, the pallor 
that overspread his countenance, left her no room to doubt 
it; but — ^he did not flee from his future wife, or from the 
innocent children ; and none others frequented his room, ex- 
cept herself. It was really true, then, as she had frequently 
told herself, that she had become utterly distasteful to him 
since she had several times been the witness of scenes between 
himself and Flora ; he did not wish to see her in his house, 
and he had begged his aunt to put a stop to her afternoon 
classes, that her further intercourse there might cease. As 
this conviction crept over her, her lovely features lost their 
usual mobility, and their expression grew stern and hard. 

“ There is no reason why you should justify your proceed- 
ing ; you are master here, — that suffices,” she replied, icily. 
“ But what an unbounded esteem you must entertain for the 
Baroness Steiner, since you sacrifice your coveted repose to her, 
and wish to receive her spoiled grandchild and his govern S6S 
beneath your roof !” It was a harsh reproof to come from 
girlish lips which were wont to be frank and outspoken, but 
which had never hitherto uttered words to show how sharp 
and cutting the clear, bell-like voice could be. “ No, no ; do 
not speak !” she cried, with sudden passion, as he opened his 
lips to reply. “ I would not have you stoop to frame a false 
excuse for courtesy’s sake, and say what you do not think. I 

22 


254 


AT THE COUNCILLOR’S. 


know too well what motives influence you!” She evidently 
struggled to keep down angry tears. “ I have most inoppor- 
tunely crossed your path on several occasions, and entirely un- 
d)rstand the irritation with which you exclaimed, a moment 
ago, 'Always that girl!’ I cannot forgive myself for my 
awkwardness, although upon one occasion only did I wilfully 
interfere. But you judge me still more harshly, — you per- 
secute me in consequence.” 

Doctor Bruck did not contradict her, but it seemed as 
though he had a struggle to resist the temptation to speak. 
He looked down upon her with eyes full of an inexplicable 
expression, and his right hand leaning upon the garden-table 
was tightly clenched. As he stood thus, every lineament of 
his handsome face showed the strength and resolution that 
would to the last resist being forced to an explanation. 

“ It cost me much to return hither,” she began again. 
“ The Frau President” — she pointed towards the Villa Baum- 
garten — “poisoned my childhood with her pride of rank 
whenever it was in her power to do so, and I can never forget 
the bitter tears which her perpetual insolence wrung from my 
poor Lukas. You know how, upon my arrival, I shrank from 
meeting my clever sister Flora, and how, in sight of the villa, 
1 longed to turn back and flee to my Dresden home. Would 
that I had done so ! In addition to pride of rank and of office, 
the arrogance of wealth is now rampant in the villa. In that 
air, filled with pretence and gold-dust, no healthy thought or 
feeling can survive. By my very nature I am incapable of 
striking root in such a soil; but here,” — she extended her 
arms towards the house and garden, — “ here I was at home ; 
here I could even have forgotten my dear Dresden ; why, — I 
do not know myself!” 

How lovely she was, standing there in spotless white, 
thoughtfully inclining her head with its crown of heavy 
braids ! “ I think your dear old aunt has cast a spell upon 


AT THE COUNCILLOR’S. 


255 


me,” she added, with a bright look ; “ the simple, noble 
beauty of her character helps me to a true balance of mind ; 
she 'es her way calmly, noiselessly, and never yields one 
iota ol what she holds to be just and right, although no word 
of contradiction or self-assertion ever passes her lips. It is 
refreshing indeed, in contrast with such unjustifiable preten- 
sions, such deceitful appearances, and — yes, such pitiable weak- 
ness assailing even the strong masculine intellect.” She tossed 
contemptuously aside a spray of blossoms with which she had 
been toying as she spoke. 

The gesture evidently irritated the man who stood before 
her. A gloomy fire shone in his eyes ; he understood her. 
“ You have forgotten to enumerate one virtue possessed by my 
‘ dear old aunt,’ — caution and gentleness in judgment,” he 
said, reprovingly. “ She never would have uttered such con- 
demning words as those you have just spoken, for she knows 
how easily we may be mistaken, and that often — as, indeed, 
in the case to which you so evidently allude — what looks like 
weakness demands every possible exertion of strength.” He 
spoke with exceeding earnestness ; the calm demeanour, which 
had never forsaken him even when there had been such 
wonderful and sudden changes in his career, had vanished 
entirely. 

In her first surprise, Kitty’s eyelashes drooped upon her 
hot cheeks, but she felt that she was right : he was utterly 
weak towards himself in his love, as in his dislike. Had she 
not had proof of the latter ? 

At this moment the children in their play came running 
round the corner of the house. As soon as they saw Kitty 
they rushed to greet her, shouting with joy. They paid no 
heed to the doctor’s stern face, and in a second the young girl 
was surrounded and almost overborne by the merry throng, 
in their eagerness for some kind word or caress from their 
“ dear Fraulein.” 


256 


AT THE COUNCILLORS. 


In ipite of lier agitation , Kitty almost laughed outright, for 
the wild onslaught of the children in their affection fairly 
made her stagger ; but the doctor became more angry than 
she had ever before seen him. He harshly reprimanded the 
little ones, and ordered them to return behind the house and 
stay there until they were dismissed. 

Confused and frightened, the children retired. 

Kitty looked after them compassionately until they had all 
disappeared. “ I should like to go with them to comfort them, 
but I cannot again seek the spot which I have left forever,” 
she said, half in pain, half in anger. 

“ ‘ Comfort !”’ the doctor rejoined, almost derisively. “ Con- 
fess that you would now like to stamp me monster as well 
as weakling. Be consoled: children carry their comfort with 
them, their smiles and tears are closely akin. Bo you not 
hear them laughing already?” And he pointed over his shoul- 
der with a fleeting smile. “I’ll wager their merriment is at 
my expense. I sent them off on your account ; I could not 

endure How could you bear such an attack? They 

are uncouth, rude ” 

“ Because they are fond of me? Thank Grod that it is bo 1 
There at least I may still have faith I” she cried, pressing her 
clasped hdnds to her bosom. “ Or would you perhaps persuade 
me that this exhibition of affection is also due solely t^ my 
money? Oh, no, here I stand firm ; I will not be defrauded 
of this satisfaction, rely upon it !” 

He recoiled in amazement. “ What strange idea has ” 

“ Ah ! is it really so surprising that at last I havj beer 
aroused from the state of childish confidence in which I have 
lived, imagining that true honest feeling was worth something 
in this world ? It has taken a long time, has it not, to induce 
my clumsy Herman comprehension to open its eyes and see 
how unspeakably ludicrous were all its old-fashioned ideas of 
right and wrong, truth and falsehood ?” She grew pale and 


AT THE COUNCILLOR'S. 


257 


shuddered. “ There is something horrible in the sudden con- 
viction that one has no existence as a genuine human creature, 
with a right to be happy after one’s own fashion.” 

He turned away his eyes, and she continued : “At our first 
meeting you asked me how I liked my sudden accession to 
wealth ; now for the first time I am able to answer your ques- 
tion. I seem drowning in this ocean of money ; many hold 
out a hand to me, to be sure, to rescue me, not for my own 
sake, but for the golden waves that surround me.” 

The doctor interrupted her. “ In heaven's name, what in- 
duces you to take such a view of your life?” 

“ Can you ask ? Am I not forced to accept this view 
with every draught of air that I inhale, every drop of water 
that I drink ? In my dear Dresden home I am cajoled as 
the ‘ heiress,’ my teachers exalt the faint spark of musical 
talent which I possess for the sake of the high price I pay 
for my lessons, and the guardian wooes his ward because he 
knows better than any one else — how rich she is.” 

As she spoke, her gaze had wandered aimlessly over the 
distant hills ; now she looked at the doctor ; he started as if 
from an electric shock. “ Has it gone so far ?” he stammered, 
passing his hand over his eyes as if overcome by dizziness. 
“ And you of course are pained to think that such thoughts 
should influence Moritz,” he added, after a moment’s pause. 

She listened in wonder, his voice sounded so faint and 
broken. “ It wounds me still more deeply that every one seems 
^o feel justified in having a voice in the matter,” she replied, 
as, standing erect, she looked the personification of a protest 
against unwarranted assumption of authority. Then, shaking 
her head gravely, she continued : “ Such an unfortunate, 
heiress as I must be on her guard lest she become a pitiable 
plaything in the hands of egotism ; and this I will not be, 
absolutely will not. And you, Herr Doctor, — you too are 
one of those who think that an orphan girl should submit 
K 22* 


258 


AT THE COUNCILLOR'S. 


herself, her will, her goings and her comings, to the conve 
nience of others. Here you would exile me, there you would 
fetter me to the spot. I should like to know what justifies 
you in this despotism, or— no” — her lips quivered in the 
struggle to keep back the tears, — “ I would ask, with Hen- 
riette, ‘ What have I done to you ?’ ” 

The last passionate words died upon her lips : the doctoi 
grasped her wrist with fingers that were like cold iron. 

“ Not a word more, Kitty,” he said, in a whisper that terri- 
fied her. “ Did I not know that there is not in your nature 
a trace of falsehood, I could not but believe that you had 
devised this torture to wring from me a secret which has 
been strictly guarded,” — he dropped her hand, — “ but I too 
say, this shall not be, absolutely shall not !” 

He folded his arms, and walked away for a few paces as if 
to go towards the house, but suddenly, turning, he said, “ I 
should like to know how I would fetter you to the villa.” His 
tone was calmer, and he came again and stood before her. 

Kitty blushed crimson ; for one instant maidenly timidity 
delayed her reply, then she answered, firmly, " You wish me 

to be — mistress of Villa Baumgarten ” 

“ I ? — I ?” He laughed again the hard, scornful laugh that 
had startled Kitty awhile before in his conversation with his 
aunt. “ And upon what do you base this accusation ? Why 
should I wish to see you mistress of Villa Baumgarten?” he 
asked, controlling himself with difficulty. 

“ Because, as Flora says, you would not have Henriett#^ .-fl 
alone,” she replied, with frank decision, born of a determina 
tion to leave no point unexplained. “ You see how fond I am 
of my poor invalid sister, how gladly I undertake the ca>'e of 
her, and you would like to have her future home and comfort 
secured by my becoming— the wife of the councillor.” 

“ And you believe me to be at the head of this family 
scheme? You seriously believe this? Have you forgotten 


AT THE COUNCILLORS. 


259 


how I protested long ago against your sacrificing yourself and 
remaining longer in Rbmer’s house ?” 

“ Since then much has been changed,” she replied, bit- 
terly. “ In September you will leave M forever ; it will 

then be a matter of indifference to you who rules in the 
villa ; your comfort will no longer be disturbed by an unsym- 
pathetic presence there ” 

“ Kitty !” he gasped. 

Herr Doctor ?” She calmly met, with head proudly erect, 
his glance of fire. “ The excellence of such an arrangement 
is plain, and no one who was not as dull of comprehension as 
myself could have been blind to it for so long,” she added, 
with apparent composure, and with a gravity of tone and man- 
ner that seemed to come of suddenly-added years of knowledge 
and experience. “ Then no strange element would intrude 
upon the family circle ; every domestic arrangement could re- 
main as it is ; the habits of all in the villa, as well as in the 
tower, need not be disturbed ; nothing, not even my iron safe 
in Moritz’s ‘ treasure-chamber,’ would have to be moved from 
its place. Oh, it is all so sensibly contrived ” 

“ And is so natural, that you have not hesitated for a mo- 
ment to remain,” he completed her sentence, breathing quickly, 
and with a look which in its impatience seemed to chide the 
lips that delayed confirmation of his words. 

“ No, Herr Doctor, you exult too soon,” she cried, with a 
kind of triumph in her tone. “ The obstinate heiress refuses 
to be led in chains. I am going, going this very day. r 
came here only to take my leave of your aunt, and shoulrf 
have laughed at your decree of exile awhile ago, if it had not 
pained me. My sisters have at length opened my blinded 
eyes, and revealed to me in a dazzling vista the ‘ happiness’ to 
which I have been destined. At the moment of revelation I 
felt as if there were but one path open to me from the Frau 
President’s drawing-room, — the road leading directly to the 


260 


AT THE COUNCILLOR'S. 


railroad depot, — and I should have pursued it immediately, 
had I not remembered the duties here which I had under- 
taken to fulfil. I am not going to stay away longer than will 
suffice to convince Moritz that he can never be more to me 
than my legal guardian, and that he arouses my dislike as soon 
M he attempts to assume any tone towards me except that of 
a fatherly friend and adviser.” 

She drew a long sigh of relief, and, although she had crim 
soned to the roots of her hair with maidenly shame at speak- 
ing such words, it was easy to see that she was now fully de- 
termined that all should be plain and clear between herself 
and the man who, as she spoke, seemed to become more erect 
and elastic in form, as if some oppressive weight were suddenly 
removed from his shoulders. 

“ Since the day when Henriette was carried fainting into 
your house, a strong tie has been formed between the Frau 
Dean and my poor sister,” Kitty continued, more quickly, 
“ and I can go away with an easy mind, leaving Henriette to 
your aunt’s care. I wished to bespeak her kind services in 
this matter, and came hither for that purpose. I shall now 
write to her from Dresden, for you must be aware that she 
whom you have banished from your house will never again 
intrude upon your domain.” 

With these words she turned to go. “ Grood-bye, Doctor 
Bruck !” she said, with a slight inclination, and walked to- 
wards the bridge. As she reached the poplars that grew on 
the other side of the river, she turned once more to take a 
last look at the dear old house. Around the corner the chil- 
dren were peeping curiously, but the doctor still stood by the 
garden-table, both hands resting upon the top, and leaning 
heavily forward, while his face, which was ashy pale, was 
turned to her with a wild expression of despair. 

Oh, mystery of a girl’s heart ! Without thinking what she 
lid, she flew back across the bridge, over the path she had 


AT THE COUNCILLOR' a 


261 


thought never to tread again, — she would have traversed th« 
world to come to his aid. 

“ Ah, you are ill !” she stammered, laying her warm supple 
hands anxiously upon his own. 

“ No, not ill, Kitty, only what you declared me to be a 
while ago, although in a different sense, — a pitiable weakling!” 
he replied, impatiently, shaking back a lock of hair that harl 
fallen over his brow. “ Go, go 1 can you not see that in my 
present condition every word of sympathy, every kind look, 
is like a dagger-thrust?” he cried, harshly, while quick aa 
thought he stooped and pressed his lips for one instant pas- 
sionately upon the white hand that lay upon his own. 

Startled though she was, for a moment Kitty’s heart throbbed 
fast and loud with an indescribable sensation of happy tender- 
ness, and the words hovered upon her lips, “ No, I will not 
go, — you need me.” But at the same moment he stood erect 
before her, mute and pale, and pointed commandingly towards 
the bridge. She turned once more, and fled as though the 
angel with the flaming sword stood by his side. 

A few hours later she noiselessly descended a back stau- 
case in the villa, her travelling-bag in her hand. She went as 
■jhe had come, suddenly, unexpectedly. Henriette, although 
shocked and distressed at her departure, had acquiesced in her 
remaining away for a time, since Flora’s thoughtlessness had 
made such mischief. She consented that Kitty should leave 
thus privately, and write what she thought best to say from 
Dresden, she herself engaging to inform the household of her 
departure. One condition she strictly exacted, however, and 
that was, that Kitty should instantly return whenever her 
invalid sister needed her support and care. 

Henriette stood at the top of the staircase with arms ex- 
tended in farewell, while Kitty drew her veil down over her 
swollen eyelids. Every hall and passage of the house wa® 


262 


AT THE COUNCILLOR'S. 


batlied in light, and carriage after carriage rolled up to the 
door. For a moment Kitty was obliged to take refuge in a 
side-corridor, whence she saw ladies in full dress rustle by to 
he drawing-room. Footmen threw open the folding-dooi’s, 
and, within. Flora appeared in light-blue silk and white lace, 
beautiful and gracious as a princess, to receive the guests 
assembled in her honour. The councillor was celebrating her 
birthday by a large ball. 

As she looked, Kitty’s heart ached to breaking. There 
stood her haughty sister, the favorite of fortune that dogged 
her footsteps although she had thrust it from her, and here 
cowered hopelessness like crime. Why should every gift of 
heaven, all the wealth of love, be heaped upon this one head, 
— that did not prize them, — while a weary life of self-sacri- 
fice lay before the other sister in the midst of her hoarded 
gold? 

The doors were closed, and Kitty hurried out into the park, 
filled with such despair as alone can assail a young and ardent 
nature ; and while the maid awaited her in her room to dress 
her for the soiree, she was knocking at the door of the mill tc 
request Franz to accompany her to the railroad depot. 


AT THE COUNCILLOR'S. 


26H 


CHAPTER XXIL 

More than three months had passed, during which Kitty 
had studied as never before, giving hours to her music daily, 
and trying to find forgetfulness in devotion to duty. Hen- 
riette kept a kind of diary, which she sent every week to her 
sister. It told her how the life in the villa had gone on since 
her departure She could “read between the lines” that the 
Fi-au President had been evidently much relieved thereby, 
and had established a rule in the villa more despotic than 
ever. Henriette told how her grandmother had praised 
Kitty’s “ thorough good taste” in what she had done, while 
Flora shrugged her shoulders and spoke of “ school-girl’s 
nonsense.” She herself had informed the councillor of his 
ward’s absence on the evening of the ball ; he had turned 
quite pale with anger, and had been out of humour with her 
for days in consequence of her share in the affair. Flora, too, 
had been cross and out of sorts all that evening, for her lover 
had excused himself from appearing, on the plea of profes- 
sional duties. 

The councillor had written to Kitty announcing a visit to 
Dresden in June, when he had “ an explanation to make ;” 
but Henriette, as the time approached, told of his being over 
whelmed with business, of the myriads of telegrams that were 
sent from Berlin to him as soon as he left that capital, where, 
indeed, he passed more time than in his home. The visit 
remained unpaid ; a short business letter now and then was 
all she received from him, and her last remittance was sent 
through his bookkeeper, — an unprecedented occurrence. 

Kitty breathed more freely, — the dreaded conflict was not 


264 


AT THE COUNCILLOR’S. 


to take place. Her guardian had seen from her reply to hi? 
letter that his hopes were futile, and had quietly acquiesced 
The young girl might then have returned to her post a& 
Henriette’s nurse, but the doctor’s wife decidedly opposed 
this scheme, because Kitty, as she often anxiously remarked, 
had returned home from her former visit much changed, having 
lost all her youthful spirits and the fresh colour in her cheeks. 
Besides, the Baroness Steiner, with her suite, had now been 
partcred in the villa for two months, and had left no vacant 
corner on the third floor. 

Kitty herself shuddered at the thought of a return so long 

as there had been no removal to L . She knew too well 

that it would be impossible for her in that circle to maintain 
her outward self-possession. In Dresden she was obliged to 
exert all her strength of character not to show that her peace 
of mind was fled, that she was always struggling fiercely 
against the sweet bewildering force that had taken up its 
abode in her heart, and which seemed like a crime. Henri- 
ette had never recalled her, in spite of the passionate declara- 
tion repeatedly made that she longed for her “ true, strong 
sister;” on the contrary, she spoke with enthusiastic gratitude 
of the tenderness and care lavished upon her by the dean’s 
widow. Her diary was a continued narrative, in which two 
people played the principal part, — the doctor and his aunt. 
Every occurrence in the house by the river was duly detailed, 
even to the untimely death of the yellow hen, a victim to a 
recurrence of savage hatred on the part of her enemy the 
house-dog; and the unusual plenty of the grapes in the garden. 
It was even thought worth while to tell of a “snow-white 
kitten, whose favorite place was the Frau Dean’s own chair.” 
These were innocent items ; but the diary was usually gloomy 
and melancholy in tone ; in some parts it read as if the pages 
had been wetted with tears, in others as if the pen had been 
guided by a hau l of fire. Of the relation between Flora and 


AT THE COUNCILLOR’S. 


265 


the doctor not a word was said, but great distress was ex- 
pressed that the latter had been so changed by the wearing 
anxieties of his profession : only towards his patients was he 
uniformly gentle and kind; in general society he had become 
taciturn and irritable, while in appearance every one noticed 
how greatly he was altered. 

Thus gradually the time appointed for the marriage drew 
rxar. Flora had neglected to invite her distant half-sister 
Henriette wrote that her head was full of a series of letet 
that were being given in her honour, and that with regard 
to her trousseau and her marriage festivities her whims had 
almost driven the trades-people to despair. The invalid 
seemed in great distress of mind ; she repeatedly dwelt upon 
her inability to sustain alone all the bustle and excitement of 
the approaching marriage. The dean’s widow could be of no 
assistance to her at that time, since she herself was suffering 
greatly at the thought of a separation from her nephew, and 
was often absent-minded and sad. These complaints grew 
more and more frequent, until one evening a few days before 
the marriage a telegram arrived which ran, “ Come instantly ; 
I am miserable and ill.” 

No delay was to be thought of ; even the doctor’s wife con- 
sented that Kitty should go immediately ; and the girl herself 
—she shivered in nervous dread of what was to come, and 
yet she exulted in the blissful thought that she should see 
once more the man who was — her future brother-in-law. 

Again on a morning in September she found herself in the 
large room in the castle mill. She had come by the night 
train, having telegraphed to Franz to meet her. And certainly 
a mother’s h .nds could not have prepared everything for her 
arrival more lovingly than had old Susy. The room, illumined 
by the green light penetrating the chestnut-boughs before the 
windows, was redolent with the fragrance of the heliotrope, 
roses, and mignonette upon the window-sills fresh white covers 
23 


M 


266 


AT THE COUNCILLOR’S. 


had been put upon all the tables, a tempting snowy bed 
stood in the recess, and upon the large oaken table stood the 
familiar copper “ machine” full of hot coffee. Even the home- 
made cake was ready strewn with sugar, beside the gilt china 
cup that had been the pride of the corner cupboard during 
> -e lifetime of the old miller’s wife. 

Again the girlish tread was heard upon the white scoured 
floor, and through the open window came the cooing of the 
doves and the murmur of the distant weir, — she was at home. 
She would visit her invalid sister from here, and upon no 
account accept the councillor’s hospitality, in spite of th(! 
Frau President’s scorn of “ familiar intercourse between the 
villa and the mill.” 

Kitty was in a strange mood. Dread of her first visit to 
the villa; painful longing for the house by the river, the 
weather-cock upon the roof of which she discerned with a 
beating heart from her southern window, and which she might 
not approach ; passionate impatience to see, if only once more, 
the tall figure which she had first seen here in the mill, and 
which it was torture to confess to herself, as she did daily, 
she had loved from that moment ; all this stirred within her, 
in addition to the strange, inexplicable foreboding and anxiety 
that possessed her soul. For months the columns of the 
newspapers had been filled with sensational intelligence in 
regard to the bursting of the great swindling bubble of the 
day in Vienna, and shortly afterwards of a similar catastrophe 
in Berlin. The destruction of this modern Tower of Babel 
was the topic of the day in every public place, in every draw- 
ing-room ; it had been discussed even in the small aesthetic 
circle in Kitty’s Dresden home. In the railway-carriage on 
the road from Dresden to M it had been the inexhausti- 

ble theme for conversation among her fellow-travellers, and now 
with her own eyes Kitty could behold one of the results of 
this calamity. Through the cooing of the doves and the dis- 


AT THE COUNCILLORS. 


267 


fcant murmur of the weir came the sound of excited human 
voices, and just behind the last chestnut the young girl had a 
view of the gravelled space in front of the factory. It was 
swarming, as she had seen it once before, with workmen, some 
silent and gloomy, others gesticulating wildly and talking 
loudly. The stock company that had purchased the factory of 
the councillor had failed ; the ofi&cers of the law had already 
appeared in the building, and the employes had not yet 
recovered from the shock of the sad news. 

“ Yes, yes, so it goes,” said Franz, as he brought in Kitty’s 
trunk. “ Those people were too well off, and they thought 
they deserved more, — now they will live for a while from hand 
to mouth, and then from bad to worse. All of them would 
like to pick up money off the streets; and who can blame 
them, when their betters do the same? He’s a fortunate fellow 
who gets safely through the stream,” he went on, slapping his 
pockets ; “ ‘ an honest store by work made more’ is my motto ; 
no need to lie awake o’ nights then. Those who don’t know 
how to speculate had better let it alone. There’s the Herr 
Councillor, to be sure, firm as a rock ; he’s too long-headed to 
be touched.” Then, with an air of great wisdom, raising his 
forefinger, “ Yesterday he got back from Berlin, finer than 
ever. I had just taken a load of corn to the station, — hey, 
how his black .horses flew past ! He understands it all. 
They said he had just made another lucky hit, and he ’ooked 
like a man with millions at his command. He has been away 
for a long time, and I dare say would not have returned now 
but for the fine doings they are to have over there to-night.” 

To-night ! The wedding was to take place on the next 
day but one, and immediately afterwards the newly-married 
pair were to set off upon a bridal tour. Kitty knew it, she 
had read it often enough in Henriette’s diary, and yet the 
thought came to her now with a shock of terror. 

“They are to have a fine time at the villa to-night,” Susy 


^68 


AT THE COUNCILLOR'S. 


Baid, as she handed her young mistress a cup of coffee. “ \ 
was talking yesterday with the councillor’s Anton, and he 
says they haven’t room enough for all the guests who are 
coming. They have built a theatre, and ever so many young 
ladies from town are to dress up, and the evergreens have 
been coming by wagon-loads to ornament the house.” 

The factory clock was striking eleven as Kitty walked ovt i 
to the villa. The murmur of voices was still audible as she 
went through the mill-yard, but scarcely had the small door 
in the wall separating the park from the mill-garden closed 
behind her before an aristocratic silence reigned around. 

Franz was right ; one felt here that the noise and confusion 
of the money-market could not touch the rich man and his 
belongings ; that the devouring waves of misfortune and ruin 
could not even wet the soles of his feet. Ah ! there stretched 
the beautiful lake. It had absorbed the azure of the sky, and 
lay a giant sapphire of spotless purity. It had been finished 
thus quickly at an enormous expense of money and labour. 
Swans were gliding to and fro upon its placid waters, and near 
the shore rocked a gaily-painted boat, fastened at the end by a 
chain. Kitty had left the park a mass of tender spring green ; 
now the shadows had deepened. The sun’s fiery rays, pouring 
down in all their summer splendour, had burned away the 
delicate colours of the flowers of spring, and had kindled in 
their stead the torches of the cannas and the straight stems of 
the gladiolus upon every bit of lawn that peeped forth among 
the shrubbery. 

IIow many hands must be employed to maintain such ex 
quisite neatness everywhere I Not a fallen leaf lay upon the 
paths, not a blade of grass broke the even line of the gravelled 
roads, no fading blossom was left upon the bushes. And in 
the distance, among the groups of majestic trees, appeared the 
imposing fagade of the new stables ; their erection also had 
been so swift as to seem almost the work of magic. For all 


AT THE COUNCILLOR'S. 


269 


there had been expended immense sums ; whatever was flung 
abroad in the stock market, the golden stream here seemed 
inexhaustible. None of the electric shocks that had wrought 
such destruction in the business world had been felt here. 

Passing on beneath the shady arches of the linden avenue, 
Kitty approached the villa. Never had the fairy structure 
seemed to her so aristocratically unapproachable as to-day in the 
golden light of morning, the gay flag waving from the roof, — 
a fluttering sign of welcome floating on the air. Involun- 
tarily the young girl laid her hand upon her throbbing heart ; 
she had not been invited, and yet she had come. It was 
a sacrifice indeed to sisterly affection, this crushing down of 
her own proud nature. Behind the bronze tracery of the 
balcony, the Frau President’s lap-dog was running to and fro, 
balking at the visitor with all his old hostility, and the parrot, 
in his gilded cage in the blue drawing-room, screamed in 
chorus. 

As Kitty entered the door, a lady glided past her, holding 
her handkerchief to her face, and above its lace border she 
glanced shyly at the young girl from eyes swollen and red 
with weeping. Kitty recognized her ; it was the gay young 
wife of a major, accustomed to every luxury. The elegance 
and variety of her toilettes had been the talk of the capital. 
She hurried around the corner of the house towards the 
shrubbery, probably to remove there the traces of tears before 
she was seen upon the public highway. 

“There is nothing left for her husband but to shoot him* 
self they say he has lost every stiver,” Kitty heard one of 
the servants say, as she passed through the hall. “ Serves him 
right ! What has an army officer to do with speculating in 
stocks that he knows nothing of? Then his wife comes to 
our master, and cries her eyes out to beg him to help them 
out of the mire. A pretty piece of business ! If he were to 
help all those who have been to him lately, he might take up 
23 * 


270 


AT THE COUNCILLOR'S. 


his staff and beg on the road; he would have nothing left 
for himself.” 

Another victim, then, of the terrible crisis ! ICitty shud- 
dered, and ascended the stairs unperceived. A solemn silence 
reigned in the third story. Mechanically she opened the door 
of the room that had formerly been assigned to her. It was 
plain that the Frau Baroness Steiner reigned here no longer: 
but the room had evidently not been arranged to receive 
another guest. Much of the furniture had been removed, 
and in its stead the walls were lined with draped tables cov- 
ered with a profusion of articles, displayed with great taste and 
care, — the gorgeous trousseau of the professor’s wife in spe; 
in the centre of the room, upon a tall dress-stand, hung a robe 
of snowy satin, covered with lace and orange-blossoms, the 
heavy train lying long upon the floor, — Flora’s wedding-gown. 
Kitty turned away her eyes, and closed the door; and in a 
few moments she clasped in her arms Henriette, who, at sight 
of her sister, broke into such a transport of joy that it seemed 
the result of relief from terrible pain. 

The sick girl was alone. No one had any time to give her 
to-day, she said. The councillor had taken upon himself all 
the arrangements for the festival given in honour of Flora’s 
marriage, and everything was to be conducted upon a scale of 
great magnificence. He was determined to show the capital 
what money could do. To be sure, this was the weak point 
in his character. With her usual inconsequence, she had 
neglected to tell any one of the telegram she had dispatched 
to Kitty. Such an announcement would have been entirely 
superfluous, she declared, in reply to Kitty’s look of surprise 
and dismay; every one knew that she had promised to return 
and nurse her poor Henriette whenever she was sent for, and 
as for an unexpected encounter with the councillor, Kitty 
might rest perfectly easy ; Moritz had “ a new flame” in Berlin, 
whence he had returned of late, and especially yesterday, 


AT THE COUNCILLOR'S. 


271 


remarkably absent-minded ; only smiling archly, and making no 
denial, when Flora had rallied him. 

To these communications Kitty made no reply; she was 
possessed by the conviction that it had been high time for her 
to return. She found the sick girl much changed, and in a 
state of feverish agitation. The hard hollow cough shook her 
emacia;ed frame much more frequently than formerly, hei 
hands were burning hot, and her breath came with great 
difficulty. She had hitherto always denied herself the relief 
of teai’s ; her will was of iron. But to-day her beautiful eyes 
were swollen and disfigured with weeping. She was consumed 
by fear, she wailed, hiding her head on Kitty’s breast, lest 
Brack, with all his love for Flora, should be wretchedly un- 
happy ; and although nothing had been said by the dean’s 
widow about it, she was sure the old lady felt as she did, 
and was miserable. Kitty admonished her, rather curtly, that 
this was solely Bruck’s affair; no one had had more oppor- 
tunity than he of being thoroughly aware of Flora’s egotistical 
nature. If he persisted in making her his wife, he was surely 
prepared to meet the consequences. Henriette started up in 
alarm; the words sounded so harsh. Indeed, there seemed 
a strange alteration in Kitty ; a kind of stern reserve was in 
her whole manner, as though she had accepted her fat<» after 
a hard struggle. 


272 


AT THE COUNCILLOR'S. 


CHAPTER XXIIL 

Not long afterwards, Kitty, carefully supporting her invalid 
iister, descended the stairs to announce her arrival to the 
family. They passed through the narrow corridor where 
Kitty had taken refuge for a moment on the evening of her 
departure. It ran near the ball-room, which occupied almost 
the entire floor of a wing of the villa. 

“ They are rehearsing for this evening, and the men are 
decorating the room at the same time,” Henrietta said, lis- 
tening, with a quiet, scornful laugh, as dramatic declamation, 
mingled with knocking and hammering, was heard through 
the open doors. “ Those girls are utterly disgusting ! They 
would one and all be glad to scratch the bride’s eyes out as 
they stand upon the stage, and yet they spout away about the 
‘ loveliest flower’ lost from their circle, the genius of poesy 
having kissed her brow, and the like wretched stuff. And 
Moritz, with his boundless extravagance, is behaving like a 
fool. Yesterday evening, after his return from Berlin, he 
scolded the workmen as if they had been school-boys. They 
had to tear down the ‘worthless trash’ they had put up, 
because in two dark corners they had substituted woollen for 
silken damask. Always the same parade of his millions I 
Just look here !” 

She noiselessly opened a little wider one of the doors, 
through which was visible a magnificent canopy of crimson 
velvet fringed with gold, beneath which the bridal pair were 
to stand in the evening. 

“ Think how he, with his pale, gloomy face, will look be- 
neath all that finery!” Henriette whispered, leaning her 
blonde head upon her sister’s shoulder. “ And she will stand 


AT THE COUNCILLORS. 


273 


beside him, victorious, triumphant as ever, in her studied 
toilette of innocent white muslin and marguerites. Oh, 
Kitty ! there is something strange and inconceivable in the 
whole affair. I often feel as if a miserable secret were lurking 
behind it all, like a glimmering spark beneath gray ashes.” 

In the dining-room the Frau President was sitting at break- 
fast with Flora and the councillor. Flora’s beautiful morn 
ing dress was of white, trimmed with pink, and a charming 
breakfast-cap covered her hair, which was en papillotes. Kitty 
was startled, — her beautiful sister’s strongly-marked profile 
looked so sharp and thin without the golden glory of the 
curls above her brow; for the first time she saw that Flora 
was no longer young, that at last her restless ambition had 
begun to grave deep lines in the lovely oval of her face. 

“ Heavens, Kitty ! what put it into your head to drop down 
upon us to-day?” she cried, with an irritation which she did 
not care to conceal. “ I cannot tell you how it embarrasses 
me. I must assign you some place now whether I will or not, 
and I have twelve bridesmaids already, — you see yourself I 

cannot want a thirteenth ” She paused with a faint 

exclamation. 

The councillor had been sitting with his back to the door, 
and had just poured out a glass of Burgundy which he was 
raising to his lips, when Flora’s words apprised him of the 
entrance of the sisters. Either the glass slipped from his 
hand in his surprise, or he did not look to see how he placet, 1 
it upon the table, — its dark crimson contents were spilled apoii 
the white damask cloth and stained Flora’s dress. 

For a moment he stood confused, dismayed, his face colour- 
less, his eyes staring at the door as if some bodiless phantom 
were entering there instead of the stately girl with serious eyes 
and an assured bearing. But he recovered himself quickly. 
Apologizing to Flora for his awkwardness, he rang the bell 
for servants to repair the disaster, and then, hastening to Kitty, 
s 


274 


AT THE COUNCILLOR'S. 


drew her into the room. There was in his air and manner 
not a trace of the rejected lover; in every word, as he took her 
nands kindly, there spoke only the former fatherly guardian 
who rejoiced to see his ward again. He patted her on the 
shoulder and bade her welcome, 

“ I did not venture to invite you,” he said, “ and indeed 
I have been too busy with business matters of late to be able 

to think much of Dresden. You must forgive ” 

“ I am here solely upon Henriette’s account, and as her 
nutse,” Kitty hastily interrupted him, without the least air 
of offence at Flora’s unsisterly reception. 

“ You are kind and good, my child,” the Frau President 
said, with a smile of relief ; every fear was banished from her 
mind by the entire ease of this meeting. “ But where shall 
we put you? Your former room is occupied by Flora’s 
trousseau, and ” 

“ Therefore you must permit me to remain in my own home, 
where I have just established myself,” Kitty courteously and 
modestly finished the sentence. 

“ I am afraid there is no help for it,” the old lady replied, 
in the best of humours. “ This afternoon our house will be 
full to overflowing, and everything is in the greatest bustle 
and confusion, — our breakfast-table is in the only peaceful 
spot. From early dawn they have been hammering and re- 
hearsing ” 

“ Yes ; they fairly shake the walls with their declamation 
in the ball-room,” said Henriette, wearily leaning back in the 
arm-chair the councillor had placed for her. As we passed, 
WL heard ‘ Pallas Athene,’ ‘ the roses of Cashmere,’ and 

‘ learned professor,’ in admirable confusion ” 

“ Ugh !” Flora exclaimed, putting her fingers in her ears, 
“ it is really too bad to force such an amateur production upon 
me, when I have performed myself in so many of our court 
fetes. And there one must sit and not move a muscle of 


AT THE COUNCILLOR'S. 


275 


one's face, wlien the ridiculousness of the thing is half kill- 
ing one with inward laughter ” 

The Frau President imposed silence upon her by an em- 
phatic gesture, for the amateur performers, who had taken a 
cup of chocolate in the dining-room before the rehearsal, 
made their appearance now in search of the hats and para 
«ols they had left behind them. 

Flora slipped into the adjoining boudoir. 

With an affectation of great delight, the maid of honour, 
Fraulein von Giese, hastened up to Kitty and welcomed her 
among them once more. Then, holding out her hand to the 
councillor, she exclaimed, “ So glad to see you, my dear Herr 
von Romer. Now we can thank you in person for the de- 
lightful way in which you have seconded our efforts to 
make our fete this evening charming. Everything is superb, 
like the work of enchantment.” She rapturously kissed her 
finger-tips. “ Only in Villa Baumgarten can one enjoy such 
‘ Arabian Nights’ Entertainments every one agrees to that. 
Apropos, have you heard the terrible news about Major 
Bredow ? He is totally ruined, and many others are trem- 
bling in terror. Good heavens ! what times these are in which 

we live I Shock follows shock with such rapidity ” 

“ But Major Bredow has been speculating so insanely,” the 
Frau President said, indifferently, adjusting herself comfort- 
ably among the cushions of her arm-chair. “ How could 
any one act so entirely without sense or reason?” 

“ It is his wife’s fault. She spent too much : three thou 
sand a year on her dresses alone.” 

“ Oh, my dear, she might easily have done that if her bus 
band had shown more sense in his investments; but he mixed 
himself up with projects that carried swindling on the face of 
them.” She shrugged her shoulders. “ In such matters one 
should always take the best advice, as I have done; eh, 
Moritz? we need have no fears.” 


276 


AT THE COVNCILLOHS. 


“ I should think not,” he replied, smiling with easy as* 
Burance, and, filling his glass with Burgundy, he emptied it at 
a draught. “ Of course, in such a general crash no one is en- 
tirely untouched ; here and there small sums vanish that have 
been risked just for the sake of trying, — pin-pricks, that draw 
no blood ” 

“ Ah, that reminds me that I have not had my newspapei 
to-day, ’ the Frau President interrupted him, with animation. 
“ It usually comes punctually at nine o’clock.’ 

He shrugged his shoulders. Some negligence of the post/- 
office, or it may have slipped in among my papers and been 
sent to the tower. I will see about it.” And he filled his 
glass again. 

“ I beg pardon, ladies,” he said, alluding to these repeated 
draughts. “ I am threatened with an attack of headache, to 
which I am subject, and my best mode of prevention is a brim- 
ming glass of wine.” His face did indeed seem to have bor- 
rowed the dark hue of the wine he was drinking. 

He hastily opened a bottle of champagne and filled several 
glasses. “ I pray you drink with me to the success of our 
evening’s entertainment,” he said to the ladies, who each fol- 
lowed his example in taking up a glass. “ To the flower-fairy 
and her train ! To youth and beauty, and the delights of life, 
so dear to us all, — ay, to existence itself!” 

The glasses clinked, and the Frau President shook her head, 
with a laugh. 

Involuntarily Kitty had withdrawn to a window recess, in 
which stood Henriette’s arm-chair. She saw a tear tremble 
beneath the invalid’s eyelid at the thoughtless toast as she bit 
her lip in indignant pain ; for her, existence was a rack of 
torture, — for her, the delights of life were purchased by sufier- 
ing with every breath she drew. The young ward had taken 
no glass, and the guardian had offered her none. The girl’s 
glance rested gravely and searchingly upon his mobile features. 


AT THE COUNCILLOR’S. 


277 


She had never suspected that a tempest of feeling could arise 
behind the man’s smooth, passionless face ; and yet there it 
was, plainly indicated in the uncertain wandering eyes, in the 
quiver of the lips, in the forced merriment of the voice. 

Her guardian seemed conscious of her look ; involuntarily 
he glanced towards the window, and then hastily placing his 
glass upon the table he passed his hand across his brow and 
ran his fingers through his hair, — an attack of dizziness seemed 
to threaten him for an instant, in addition .c the headache 
which evidently defied his remedy. 


CHAPTER XXIV. 

By the afternoon, preparations for the evening greatly in- 
creased the noise and confusion. The families of rank from 
the neighbouring estates arrived, and apartments had to be as- 
signed them. Trunks filled with costumes were brought from 
town : the performers were to dress in the villa. Barbers and 
milliners came and went, and through it all the gardeners were 
bringing palms, orange-trees, and tropical plants from the con- 
servatories. 

In spite of all the noise and bustle that could be heard in 
her room, Henriette had fallen into what seemed a refreshing 
slumber. In the adjoining dressing-room sat Nanni, sewing 
spangles upon a cloud of gauze that was wanted by the 
decorators of the stage below-stairs. Kitty softly opened the 
door, and, bidding the girl pay special heed to her sleeping 
mistress until her return, she left the room and went down- 
stairs to go to the mill, where she still had some arrangements 
to make. 


24 


278 


AT THE COUNCILLOR'S. 


She avoided the large hall, — it was swarming with people, 
coming and going, — and turned into the passage beside the ball 
room. It was quieter, but at the low door at the end of it 
leading into the open air stood the councillor, a straw hat on 
his head, apparently about to go to the tower. He was in- 
structing Anton, his servant, who lodged in the tower, with 
regard tc commissions which he was going to town to fulfil. 
‘ Take time enough,” he called after him; “ I shall not dress 
before six o’clock.” 

Kitty walked slowly on along the corridor in hopes he would 
now leave the door and go into the park, but he thrust his hands 
mechanically into the pockets of his light coat and stood still. 
He was standing on the topmost of three or four steps, and 
the view obtained thence of a considerable portion of his beau- 
tiful domain apparently delayed his descent. Perhaps he had 
never before so enjoyed this view in all its wondrous beauty, 
when the rosy light of the charming afternoon invested it with 
a tender splendour. The movement of his head showed that 
his gaze was wandering hither and thither, but the young 
girl also saw that he was trembling with profound, suppressed 
emotion, as with his right hand he suddenly covered his eyes. 
He must have been struggling with the illness of which he 
had spoken, and which he was determined should not disturb 
the evening’s festivities. 

She walked more quickly and with less caution, and he 
turned hastily at the sound of her approach. 

“Is your headache worse?” she asked, kindly. 

“ Yes ; and I have just had a slight attack of giddiness,’’ 
he answered, in an uncertain voice, as he pulled his hat down 
over his eyes. “ No wonder ! If I had had the least idea of 
the thousand annoyances inseparable from this ball I never 
would have given it,” he added, more calmly, although his 
manner was not natural. “ Those stupid workmen have made 
all kinds of mistakes in my absence ; they did not understand 


AT THE COUNCILLORS. 


279 


tny ideas, and what they had been hammering away at for 
a week had to be pulled down and put up again in twelve 
hours. That is why this bustle and noise must go on until 
the very moment when the curtain rises.” 

He descended the steps slowly and cautiously, as if every- 
thing were again swimming before him. 

“ Shall T go back and get you a glass of Seltzer-water ?” she 
asked, as she stood in the door- way ; “or would it not be 
better to send for the doctor?” 

“No, thank you, Kitty,” he replied, in a strangely gentle 
tone, and his moistened glance rested lingeringly upon the 
girl who had expressed such kind anxiety, “ And indeed you 
are mistaken if you think Bruck is to be had so easily. He 
is overwhelmed with practice ; I believe he will have to be sent 
for to leave some sick-bed to come to his very marriage, the 
day after to-morrow.” A sarcastic smile flitted across his face. 
“ My best remedy is, I know,” he instantly added, “ my vaults 
in the tower. I am just going there to select the wine for 
this evening ; the air in those cellars will act like a cooling 
bandage.” 

Kitty arranged her hat upon her head and came out upon 
the door-steps. 

“And you are going to the mill? No farther, I hope?” he 
said, looking at his watch. It was a simple question, and neg- 
ligently uttered, and yet it seemed to Kitty that he caught 
his breath as he asked it. 

Descending the steps, she told him her errand to the mill, 
and then, nodding a farewell, she crossed the road while the 
councillor turned towards the tower. Behind the first group 
of shrubs, she turned and looked after him ; he was surely 
suffering more than he would admit. His knees seemed to 
tremble beneath him ; he had thrust back the hat from his 
forehead as if his brow were burning, and his eyes were wan- 
dering aimlessly over the park. 


280 


AT THE COUNCILLOR'S. 


Suddenly her temples throbbed ; a vague terror assailed her. 
That sick man tottering so uncertainly alone in the tower- 
cellar ! Like some fever-bred phantom, the horrible thought 
that had shocked her once before in sight of the tower again 
occurred to her. “ I pray you, Moritz, be careful with the 
light,” she cried anxiously after him. 

He might have been deep in thought, or perhaps his nerves 
were in that unusually irritable state when a loud voice suffice? 
to terrify ; he started as if struck by a shot. 

“ What do you mean by that?” he called back, hoarsely. 
“Are you seeing ghosts by daylight, Kitty?” he instantly 
added, with a burst of laughter that mortified his ward, as he 
vanished among the trees, waving his hand and holding him- 
self erect. 

Scarcely half an hour later, Kitty was walking along the 
river-bank. Her errand to the mill accomplished, she found 
she had time to snatch one sweet, stolen glance at the house by 
the river. How her heart beat as she saw the weather-cock 
on the roof gleaming in the sunlight through the quivering 
birch-leaves ! How she started at the crunching of the gravel 
on the path beneath her tread ! She came like an exile to 
have one last look of a beloved country. She leaned against 
the trunk of the poplar that stood by the bridge, whence she 
had stamped that last scene so inefiaceably on her memory, — 
the peeping children, their heads showing against the brilliant 
landscape beyond as upon a golden background, the strong 
stern man by the garden-table seeming crushed by some in- 
explicable emotion. 

All was quiet now in the shaded garden. The trees, then 
in all the pride of spring, were now bending with the load of 
bright-coloured fruit that filled the air with its fragrance, and 
the trellis was hardly seen beneath its purple load. Only 
one shy glimpse towards the corner window, where stood the 
doctor’s writing-table. He was not at home ; he was hastening 


AT THE COUNCILLOR’S. 


281 


from one bedside to another, driven by professional cares. 
And he no longer occupied that room. White muslin curtains 
adorned the window ; upon the sill, among the pots of Alpine 
violets in full bloom, lay a snow-white kitten, and two knitting 
hands and a woman’s head crowned with snowy hair beneath 
a muslin fichu could be distinguished there ; the Frau Dean’s 
old friend was already established. He too had burned his 
ships behind him ; he was ready to go, and the day after the 
morrow, the “ last moment” would come, when her proud, 
heartless sister would stand beside him in glistening white 
satin, to become mistress of the mansion to a man of note. 
Had she once struggled as bitterly — that fair young dame of 
by-gone days — as did the girl who now, in a burst of tears, 
clasped her arms about the poplar’s slender stem and pressed 
her brow painfully against the rough, hard bark ? She of the 
legend had once been loved, if deserted at last; no blame could 
be attached to her;* but here an evil jealousy was gnawing at 
the heart of one unloved, and she whom she envied was — her 
own sister. 

A loud footfall behind her made her look around. Franz 
the miller, with an iron crowbar over his shoulder, was passing 
by, to look after the upper weir, he said. His presence sent 
the blood to her cheeks and scared her from her post of ob- 
servation While Franz hurried on she walked slowly along 
the bank of the stream. She could not yet make up her 
mind to return to the villa ; her toilette for the evening would 
be completed long before Henriette, who was determined to 
be present at the fete, had half finished the adornments which 
were to make the ravages of disease less conspicuous. 

The solitude here was so delicious ; there was no one to see 
how red her eyes were, or how angrily her wayward heart was 
battling with the sinful desires that had urged her hither, — 
yes, they had been the cause of her coming. She would not 
spare herself or lie to her own soul I She had not come to 

24 * 


282 


AT THE COUNCILLOR'S. 


see the quiet house, and the dear old friend whose home ii 
was, and she had not been sure that he was not there. She 
had hoped — what? And when another face than his had 
appeared at the window the whole place had been to her 
I'-uely and deserted, 

Franz had vanished in the distance. She was approaching 
the ruin. The circle of water about it glistened, and through 
the shrubbery she could see the graceful bridge spanning the 
ditch. At the moment a man was crossing it from the tower. 
A thick reddish beard covered the lower part of his face ; he 
wore a labourer’s blouse, and was driving two roes before him 
with his stick. They leaped across the bridge and fled into 
the recesses of the park. 

Kitty would have paid the, man no especial attention — 
workmen were continually employed in and about the tower — 
if his conduct had not seemed strange to her. The councillor 
was very fond of these roes; he was provoked when they 
strayed into the park, and here this stranger was intentionally 
chasing them across the ditch ! Was he one of the discon- 
tented crowd of factory-hands who envied the rich man and 
wrought mischief to his possessions whenever they could? 
He turned into a path leading through the park-gates out 
upon the high-road ; she followed him with her eyes until he 
was lost in the thicket. The resemblance was wonderful ! In 
his carriage and height, in his whole make, indeed, the man 
in the blouse might have been the councillor’s twin brother. 

She stood involuntarily rooted to the spot, looking towards 
die tower whence he had come. How charmingly the land- 
scape here harmonized with the structure I How well the 
modern architect had known how to spare and now to efface 
so as to weave about the old ruin a romantic charm ! 

Silence reigned again ; no sound was heard but the faint 
flapping of the doves’ wings ; those graceful sailors of the air 
were floating in the crimson evening light, slipping through 


AT THE COUNCILLOR'S. 


283 


the interstices of the mural crown of the tower as it showed 
clear against the western sky — No, it was no mural crown I 
in a flash it was a burning crater, vomiting forth with a noise 
like thunder a cloud of pitchy vapour into the serene skies. 
The ground seemed to be torn from beneath the girl’s feet. 
She was dashed to the earth and in an instant immersed in 
the cool waters of the fosse. 

What was it ? Every one came running from the villa to 
take refuge in the garden. The house tottered from founda- 
tion to roof-tree. An earthquake ? As if bereft of all sense, 
the members of the household stood still in the open air as 
though expecting to see the earth yawn at their feet. Little 
rills of water were trickling through the grass of the lawn. 
The air began to be filled with smoke, and to scatter every- 
where on the gravel walks particles of burned material. The 
panes of plate-glass in the windows were broken ; and in the 
ball-room the huge mirror stretching from floor to ceiling lay 
shattered into a thousand pieces, the silk and velvet draperies 
had dropped from their fastenings around the stage, and the 
workmen had with difficulty escaped injury from the falling 
framework. 

Passers-by rushed in from the road, among them Anton, 
who was just returning from town. “ There ! there !” they 
cried to the Frau President, who was leaning half fainting 
upon Flora’s arm, and as they spoke they pointed to the dis- 
tant portion of the park. There was a fire in that direction, 
and huge volumes of smoke were pouring upwards so thickly 
that the sparks showed in its pitchy blackness like rockets in 
a dark night. 

“ The powder in the tower has exploded !” a voice cried 
from the midst of the throng. 

Nonsense I” Anton replied, with an attempt at a laugh, 
although his teeth were chattering in his head with terror. 


284 


AT THE COUNCILLOR'S. 


“ That old stuff has long been past exploding, and the few 
pinches of fresh which the Herr Councillor had stored there 
in jest could not have stirred a tile from its place.” 

Nevertheless he ran wildly in the direction of the tower 
across the flooded lawn, — ^he knew his master had gone thither. 
The crowd followed him, whilst the flre-alarm from the neigh- 
bouring town began to toll. 

What had become, in a moment almost too brief to suffice 
for one human breath, of the Eden which wealth and luxury 
had evoked from the ruins of knightly splendour ? When the 
black vapour darkened the heavens there had burst into air the 
infernal force as if from some subterranean fountain ; huge 
masses of granite had been tossed forth to lie here and there 
half buried in the soft sod of the lawn, having broken strong 
trees like reeds in their descent, while towards the south the 
new conservatory stood like a sieve of glass, each splinter 
sparkling and gleaming in the evening light. There must 
have been a perfect hailstorm of stones poured upon it, thus 
to shatter the exquisite toy, so lately the admiration of the 
capital. 

It was indeed a sight to horrify the breathless crowd as 
ihey emerged from the shrubbery that had partially concealed 
the extent of the disaster. Had the ghostly ancestress of the 
Baumgartens indeed lighted the train to put an end to the 
farce which the modern parvenu was playing above the hoary 
ruins of the home of her race ? Those builders of old must 
have cemented their walls with iron. The upper portion of 
the tower, with its machicolated summit, was indeed scattered 
to all the four winds of heaven, but of the lower and more 
ancient building only the smaller part had been destroyed ; it 
lay in huge masses near the fosse, whilst the rest still stood 
threateningly erect in air, and from its depths the yellow 
flames ascended, greedily devouring every particle of wof)d or 
inflammable material within. 


AT THE COUNCILLOR’S. 


285 


“ My poor master !” Anton groaned, stretching his arms in 
despair across the ditch, the waters of which had been raised 
from their bed by the force of the explosion to flow here and 
there over the park. They were now pouring back again, and 
dashing once more upon their accustomed way, carrying with 
them gravel, grass, and the bleeding bodies of slain doves and 
rooks. The pretty arches of the bridge had vanished, the 
green artificial hill was seamed by huge rifts, and the old 
chestnuts which it had nourished were thrust forth from its 
bosom to lie stretched on the ground, their boughs interlaced 
like the horns of deer dead in mortal conflict. 

Of what use were the crowds of men hurrying hither with 
their fire-engines? There was nothing to save. Where in 
that glowing crater could be found the costly furniture, the 
famous collection of ancient tankards, the pictures, statuary, 
ivory carvings, and rich carpets? As if in ghastly mockery, 
a crimson silk curtain that had floated uninjured from one of 
the windows was still hanging from a fragment of stone sill 
down over the remains of the outer wall, like a stream of blood 
flowing from some terrible wound. 

And among the crowd there ran whispers of the piles of gold 
and silver — or no, papers, bundles of papers, representing 
incalculable sums, factories, mines, landed property, — all of 
which the old tower, with its mighty walls, its impregnable 
locks, and its fosse, had guarded like a dragon. Where were 
they now? Where were the sheets of iron that had im- 
prisoned them? Had the safes fallen undestroyed into the 
vaults of the cellar, to await there a future resurrection in 
defiance of the flames? 

And what had become of him, — of the man who, as Anton 
declared, had gone to the tower an hour before to select the 
wine for the evening’s entertainment? All gazed helplessly 
at the flaming mass, while the faithful servant ran to and fro 
on the bank of the ditch, wringing his hands, and shouting his 


286 


AT THE COUNCILLOR'S. 


master’s name across the water. It had been inconceivable 
folly to keep the powder there where an unguarded lamp was 
so frequently used. 

“ The old historic powder has had nothing to do with this. 
Some very different explosive material has been at work here,” 
a loud voice said from the crowd. The speaker was an en 
gineer, and had been passing by the villa at the moment oi 
the catastrophe. 

“ But how came anything else in the cellar ?” Aviton stam 
mered, standing still, and looking at the speaker with wondei 
and inquiry. 

The man shrugged his shoulders with a meaning look, and, 
turning, was lost in the crowd, whilst the engines did theii 
work. 

As long as the fire raged, the jets of water hissed upon 
the flames, the alarm-bell tolled unceasingly, firemen brought 
planks and poles from the villa to construct some kind of a 
bridge over the fosse, and the noise and confusion increased 
from moment to moment. In the midst of it all, a piercing 
shriek was heard at some distance ; on the path leading to the 
upper weir Franz the miller had been found; a heavy stone 
had prostrated him and crushed in his chest ; the man was 
dead. 

This shriek, uttered by his wife as she threw herself upon 
the body, seemed re-echoed from all parts of the park^ it was 
so resounded with cries from hundreds of throats. 

“ Moritz, — they have found him !” the Frau President 
murmured, with a start. She had sunk down upon a garden- 
seat not far from the house, — her feet refused to carry her 
farther. She now made an effort to rise ; in vain ! The in- 
firmity of age, hitherto so resolutely ignored, asserted itself 
at this moment of nervous agitation. “ Have they found him ? 
Is he dead ? Dead ?” she stammered, incoherently, her eyes, 
usually so coldly calm, staring wildly in the direction of the 


AT THE COUNCILLOR’S. 


287 


ruin, whilst she clutched the arm of Flora, who was standing 
beside her. 

The beautiful woman alone preserved her composure. There 
above the trees the thick vapour rolled lazily and heavily up- 
wards, painting the heavens far and near in dull ashen gray, 
and here before the house, with its shattered window-panes, 
the orange-trees were overturned upon the lawn, where tha 
water trickled and flowed in little rills, to gather in pools in 
the deep furrows cut by the fire-engines. The air was filled 
with wild outcries, crowds of people were rushing past each 
moment from the town, and in the midst of this desolation 
stood a lovely woman, clad in white, with marguerites on her 
breast and in her fair curls, pale to the lips, but collected and 
self-assured in her demeanor, — a being set apart from all per- 
sonal misfortune. 

“ If you would only lojsen your hold of my arm, grand- 
mamma,” she said, impatiently, “ I might possibly convince 
you that you are needlessly alarmed. Why must Moritz 
have perished ? Pshaw ! Moritz, with his constant good for- 
tune ! I am perfectly sure that he is there in the midst of 
the crowd, safe and sound, and those stupid servants, who, by 
the way, pay us no attention, except to shout out some unin 
telligible nonsense in passing, are so frightened that they do 
not know their own master when they see him,” She looked 
down at the wet sod, and then at her white boot that peeped 
forth from beneath the flounces of her muslin dress. “ One 
would say I too had lost my senses,” she continued, with a 
shrug, “ but I must go and see ” 

“ No, no, you must stay here !” cried the Frau President, 
grasping the skirt of white muslin. “ You will not leave me 
alone with Henriette, who is still more helpless than I, and 
is of no use to me ? Oh, God, I shall die ! If he should 
be dead, if — what then ?” Her head sank upon her breast, 
that gleamed with diamonds ; she looked old and infirm, and 


288 


AT THE COUNCILLOR’S. 


her form seemed bent and shrunken in the stiff folds of her 
yellow moire dress. 

Henriette crouched upon the seat beside her, ashy pale, 
with wide, terrified eyes. “Kitty! Where can Kitty be?” 
she repeated to herself with trembling lips, as if it were a 
sentence she were learning by rote. 

•' Grod in heaven grant me patience 1” Flora muttered be- 
tween her teeth. “ Such weakness is terrible. Why in the 
world, Henriette, are you continually asking for Kitty? No 
one means to take her from you !” 

She looked impatiently towards the house, but no one was 
to be seen who could relieve her of her charge ; every one had 
gone to the ruins, — the newly-arrived guests, the footmen, the 
servants from the kitchen ; even the neatly-shod ladies’ maids 
had run through the wet towards the scene of the disaster. 
But aid approached from town in the persons of the amateur 
performers, who came breathlessly round the corner of the 
house. 

“ For heaven’s sake, tell us what is the matter I” cried 
Fraulein von Griese, rushing up to the lonely group of women. 

Flora shrugged her shoulders. “We know nothing more 
than that there has been an explosion in the tower. Every 
one runs past us ; no one answers our questions j and I cannot 
stir from the spot, because grandmamma has lost her head, and 
in her agitation is positively tearing the clothes off my back. 
She imagines that Moritz is killed.” 

The young girls stood as if turned to stone at this horrible 
idea, — the strong, handsome man who only a few hours be- 
fore had emptied his glass to the “ delights of life” already 
perished in the flames or crushed to atoms 1 It could not be. 
“ Impossible 1” exclaimed Fraulein von Giese. 

“Impossible?” the Frau President repeated, with a min- 
gling of sobs and wild laughter; she had struggled to her 
feet, but she tottered like a drunken man as she pointed a 


AT THE COUNCILLOR’S. 


289 


trembling finger towards the nearest grove. “ There — they 
are bringing him I My God ! Moritz, Moritz !” 

In solemn silence an object was being borne along, and within 
the circle of those who were accompanying it walked Doctor 
Bruck, without his hat, his tall figure towering above the rest. 

Flora fiew towards him, whilst the Frau President burst 
into a fit of convulsive weeping. At sight of the lovely com- 
manding figure the group involuntarily parted. Flora gave 
one hasty glance at the form extended upon a litter, and 
instantly turned back to say soothingly, “ Be calm, grand- 
mamma 1 It is not Moritz ” 

“ It is Kitty, — I knew it,” Henriette murmured hoarsely, 
in a voice that was half sob, half whisper, as she staggered 
across to where the bearers had put down their burden for a 
minute to take breath. 

The poor girl lay upon the old-fashioned couch from the 
doctor’s study. Her dress hanging over its side was dripping 
with moisture. Soft pillows wer^ beneath her back and head ; 
with her eyelids so gently closed and her hands resting so 
calmly upon her breast, one might have imagined her sleep- 
ing, but for the bandage above her brow and the blood 
trickling down her cheek. 

“ What has happened to Kitty, Leo ? What was she 
doing near the ruin?” Flora asked, approaching the couch, 
both in tone and in manner displaying more irritation at 
her sister’s supposed forwardness than terror at what had 
happened. 

At her previous remark, intended to soothe her grand- 
mother, the doctor had turned in sudden anger; now he 
seemed not to hear her speaking, so firmly closed were his 
lips, so stolid was the look which passed her by to rest with 
interest upon Henriette. 

The poor invalid stood before him gasping for breath, look- 
ing up to him with eyes dimmed with tears. “ Only one word, 
T 25 


290 


AT THE COUNCILLORS. 


Leo; is she alive?” she stammered, raising her hands clasped 
in entreaty. 

“ Yes ; the concussion and loss of blood have stunned her ; 
the only danger at present to be apprehended is from her wet 
clothes. The wound on her temple is trifling, thank God !” 
he answered in vibrating tones, which seemed to come from 
the depths of his heart, while with all a brother’s tenderness 
he put his left arm around the frail form that could hardly 
stand upright. “ Go on,” he said to the bearers, with evident 
anxiety and impatience. 

The accompanying crowd dispersed ; there was no danger 
here, and most of them returned to the ruin. The couch 
was carried on towards the house, past the Frau President, 
who gazed at the unconscious form as if bereft of all ca- 
pacity to understand and appreciate. The group of horri- 
fied girls stood huddled together, looking helplessly towards 
the young physician who walked beside the couch without 
noticing them. He kept his left arm around Henriette’s 
waist ; his right hand he had laid lightly upon Kitty’s brow, 
as if to shield her from any shock if consciousness should 
return. He who was usually so reserved, who so carefully 
concealed all emotion, the man whom of late all had seen so 
gloomy and constrained, was now looking down with uncon- 
cealed tenderness upon the pale face lying upon the pillows, 
as if nothing existed for him in the world except this most 
sacred and dear treasure which he had just snatched from the 
grave. 

Flora followed the silent group apart, as if bound by no 
tie to the three people whom misfortune had suddenly show* 
to be so closely allied. On the spot where the bearers had 
rested the water was standing in little pools; she walked 
through them not heeding the wet, and her long muslin train 
dragged damp and dirty over the gravelled path. Suddenly 
she tore the wreath of marguerites from her hair ; it was a 


AT THE COUNCILLOR’S. 


291 


fitter mockery in the midst of all this horror ; she plucked 
and pulled it to pieces mechanically as she walked along, and 
the little white stars lay scattered upon the ground over which 
she had passed. 

She too passed her grandmother and her friends without 
heeding them. Her flashing glance rested immovably upon 
her lover’s tall, commanding figure ; evidently she moment- 
arily expected that he would turn to her, and thus she fol- 
lowed him step by step to the house and across its threshold. 
The Frau President called after her ; the earth was shaken by 
another loud crash from the ruins, followed by shouts and 
cries. She did not look round ; the world might be dissolved 
behind her ; she was inexorably resolved to assert her “ rights ” 


CHAPTER XXV. 

A SILENT night of anxious, breathless suspense ensued 
upon this horrible day. No one went to bed; the gas was 
lighted all over the house, the servants glided noiselessly about 
on tiptoe, or huddled whispering in corners, and when some 
fireman passed near the house, or a door was softly opened, all 
started as from an electric shock and hurried into the corridors, 
sure that some intelligence would be brought of the master of 
the house. But the night waned, and the dawn peeped in at 
the windows, — he never, never came. 

The rosy light of a glorious morning shone upon Villa 
Baomgarten, making the broken window-panes glitter and 
shine. It entered the ball-room and kindled the crimson of 
tlie fallen canopy, it kissed the fading leaves of the festoons of 
green and the broken boughs of the plants brought from the 
conservatory ; — what chaos reigned there ! One single minute 


292 


AT THE COUNCILLOR'S. 


had converted the costly but frail “ Arabian Nights’ Entertain 
nieiit” into a heap of ruins and fragments. The charming 
verses in praise of the bride vs^ere unspoken, and upon the spot 
where the bespangled genius should have hovered in a rosy 
cloud, the keen morning breeze toyed mockingly with shreds 
of pink and white tulle. 

It was the first time, perhaps, that the light of dawn had 
seen these splendid interiors ; no shutter had been closed, 
no shade drawn down, — it even stared in upon the gorgeous 
bedroom in the northeastern angle of the building, upon the 
violet silk draperies, the richly-carved bedstead covered with 
lace, and it might mirror itself in the diamonds strewn 
among the pufis of the Frau President’s hair. The maid had 
not dared to offer her services to the old lady, who now ant 
then would totter through the long suite of apartments, drag- 
ging after her her heavy yellow train among overturned fur 
niture and statues toppled from their pedestals. 

The cloud of tulle which she always wore about her neck 
and chin had become loosened, and the sharp, withered out 
line of the lower portion of her face and of the throat wa 
painfully evident. Yes, she was very old, and the sun of hei 
life was low on the horizon ; nevertheless, her aged brain was 
busy with but one absorbing thought, “ Who is Moritz’s heir?” 
She herself had not the slightest claim upon the wealth of the 
man so suddenly snatched away, not even upon the bed in 
which she slept or the plate from which she ate. The coun- 
cillor had been early left an orphan ; so far as she knew, he 
had no existing relatives of his name ; but had he not con- 
tinually sent a subsistence to a sister of his mother’s living on 
the Rhine ? Would she inherit his wealth ? The idea was 
maddening. The wife of an obscure clerk, a needy seamstress, 
would then take possession of this colossal fortune, and the 
Frau President Urach, who for years had not been able to 
conceive how any one could move without silken-cushioned 


AT THE COUNCILLOR'S. 


293 


equipages, how any one could dine without lackeys in waiting, 
or sleep unless in a bed canopied with silk, would have to rout 
out her old furniture from the garrets whither it had been 
banished, and hire narrow lodgings where there were no stables 
filled with horses, no liveried servants and princely minage^ 
f3r neither she nor her granddaughters were connected by any 
tie of blood with the millionaire who had gone out of the world 
intestate. 

The guests invited from the neighbourhood had remained 
with the old lady until midnight, and, although no distinct 
mention had been made of this subject, there had not been 
lacking allusions to the business complications that must 
ensue upon the catastrophe, since the councillor had kept all 
his ledgers and business papers of every description in the 
tower, and not a scrap of them was to be found. 

But, although enormous sums had thus been destroyed, 
did not she, the Frau President, at present make her home 
upon an estate valued at many thousands ? Were not the 
mults of the plate-chamber beneath her feet? Were not 
the stables full of thorough-bred horses ? And was not the 
collection of paintings of incalculable value ? All this would 
more than sufi&ce to ensure a luxurious existence to ‘the old 
lady to the end of her days, if only she could prove that one 
drop of blood in her aristocratic veins came from the same 
source that had given life to the rope-maker’s son. 

And they spoke also of her who lay at present above-stairs, 
in Henriette’s sitting-room, the castle miller’s granddaughter ; 
they knew that her entire fortune had been kept in the tower. 
Upon this theme the Frau President in her nervous agitation 
did not care to speculate ; what was the old miller’s hoarded 
wealth to her ? Flora, on the contrary, maintaining an entire 
self-possession in spite of the horrors of the day, pondered 
long upon the possible consequences to her half-sister of th' 
destruction of the safe in the tower. 

25 * 


Al THE COUNCILLOR’S. 


There was an angry frown upon her brow as she came down 
from the third story about ten o’clock in the evening. She, the 
admired centre of a large and aristocratic circle, the beautiful 
woman whose intellectual force and ripe judgment had been the 
wonder of her acquaintances, had been obliged, to her intense 
disgust, to play the pitiable part of a supernumerary in the 
sick-room. In addition to Henriette, who had taken up her 
position on a couch and would not consent to leave the room^ 
the dean’s widow had made her appearance as Kitty’s nurse 
She had sought refuge in the villa, for the house by the river 
being the nearest to the tower had suffered much from the 
explosion ; the chimneys had been thrown down, the southern 
wall was much damaged, the windows were shivered to pieces, 
and none of the doors would latch or bolt. The friend and 
companion had gone with the maid to Susy, at the mill, and 
the doctor had left two watchmen to guard the house during 
the night. 

There had been no place for Flora at the wounded girl’s 
bedside. ' At the head sat the dean’s widow, her eyes red with 
weeping, and opposite her the doctor. “ The old woman” 
had behaved as if the trifling injury that Kitty had sustained 
were the gravest consequence of the disaster, and the doctor 
had never stilted from his post, only relinquishing his clasp of 
Kitty’s hand when the bandage upon her brow needed renew- 
ing. It required more patience and self-control than Flora 
had at command to look quietly on at such anxious cait 
bestowed upon “ a tall, robust girl, with nerves and muscle* 
inherited from the former woodcutter’s daughter.” 

Weary of the perpetual whispering, and perceiving that 
there was no sensible word to be extorted from all these 
frightened people, the beautiful woman had at last left the 
room alone and greatly irritated: the doctor had not even 
accompanied her to the door. Oi ’ourse she did not go to 
bed ; she took off her evening dress, and, putting on a white 


AT THE COUNCILLOR’S. 


295 


cashmere dressing-gown^ reclined towards morning upon hei 
crimson lounge. 

The former study looked desolate and dreary enough. The 
black writing-table had been emptied of all its papers, and 
stood dusty in the recess by the window ; most of the books 
had been taken from the shelves and were packed in boxes in 
the middle of the floor ; the pedestals were overturned, while, 
over all, the hanging lamp but carelessly lighted by the ser- 
vants threw a pale uncertain gleam, which, now that the 
morning air and dawning light came freshly in through the 
broken panes of glass, swung to and fro in its white globe 
like the last faint spark of Are from the ruins. 

When the day had fairly broken. Flora sent up-stairs to re- 
quest the doctor to come to her, and as his Arm, military step 
was heard in the corridor she hastily arranged her curls be- 
neath her lace morning cap, leaned back among the crimson 
cushions, and looked from under her half-closed eyelids 
towards the door by which he was to enter. 

He came in. Never had she seen him thus, and involun- 
tarily, mechanically, she arose as if to greet a stranger. 

“ I am not well, Leo,” she said with hesitation, not turning 
her glance of surprise from his face, which although pale and 
weary was as if inspired by some light from within that had 
totally changed its character. “ My head burns ; fright and 
wet feet must have brought on an attack of fever.” She 
added this uncertainly, whilst his eyes dwelt upon her with 
the cool searching gaze of the physician. The look irritated 
her. 

‘‘ Have a care, Bruck !” she said, in a perfectly calm tone, 
but her breath came quick, and her flnely pencilled eyebrows 
contracted so that two deep lines showed between them 
“ For months I have borne to see that your practice is 
your best beloved, to which I am subordinate.” She shrugged 
her shoulders. “ I can foresee that such must be my fate, 


296 


AT THE COUNCIL LOU’S. 


and possess magnanimity enough to acquiesce in it, since sucb 
devotion to his profession will bring fame to the man whose 
name I shall bear.” She turned her head as she spoke with 
a haughty air, as if looking through a world filled with his 
renown. “ But I protest against being set aside when I have 
need of your medical skill,” she continued. “We have all 
siifiered from the terrible catastrophe. It was my task, and 
one of indescribable difficulty, to protect and soothe grand- 
mamma, who was half insane with terror, and Henriette; 
and yet it has never occurred to you to ask, ‘ How have you 
borne all this ?’ ” ' 

“ I have not asked because I know you pride yourself upon 
subordinating all emotion to the intellect, and because I can 
see at a glance how little your physical condition has been 
afiected.” 

She listened amazed to his tone, which, with all its wonted 
calmness, trembled audibly as if in consequence of throbbing 
pulses. 

“With regard to your second assertion you are wrong,” 
she said, after a moment’s silence. “ My temples throb with 
nervous excitement. Your first may be correct ; I do strive 
to compose myself in view of every event whatsoever, that I 
may bring my calm judgment to bear upon it. From your tone 
you would seem to disapprove of this method of mine, although 
just at present it certainly deserves your praise. I have 
never been induced to speculate with my paternal inheritance ; 
I have never been tempted by fortunate chances ; were it other- 
vrise I should stand here this moment with empty hands, my 
dowry would have been dispersed upon the air like the papers 
that were destroyed yesterday. Yes, look dismayed if you 
will, Bruck,” — she lowered her voice, — “I am not deceived, 
and I choose to call things by their right names. Grand- 
mamma is pacing her room and wringing her hands in fear 
lest the ‘ colossal fortune’ should fall into stranger hands. 


AT THE COUNCILLOR’S. 


297 


Our precious guests spent half the night bewailing the fate 
of the wealthy man, fortune’s darling, torn by cruel destiny 
so tragically from his earthly paradise. But I say, this 
theatric exit was tolerably well put upon the stage, never- 
theless there is a rent in the curtain which lets in the light 
of reality upon the corpse. In a short time, perhaps in a 
day or two, the fact will be spread abroad that Rbmer was 
at first only a bold speculator, it may be, but in the end — a 
scoundrel.” 

There could not have been a more striking illustration of 
the wayward turns of fortune than was presented at this 
moment. There stood the beautiful woman in her white 
Iphigenia robes, the crimson carpet beneath her feet, the 
swinging lamp above her brow, upon the very spot where in 
the preceding December she had stigmatized as pretended 
her lover’s medical skill, and had declared, “ I cannot endure 
concealment of my opinion.” 

Flora was right ; she certainly called things by their right 
names ; she gave utterance to what the man standing before 
her could not in his inmost soul deny, and which since yes- 
terday had caused him great pain ; but to hear the naked fact 
thus boldly stated by those finely chiselled lips, in order that 
their owner might vaunt her keen insight, naturally offended 
deeply his sense of delicacy and refinement. 

“Ah, I see I am so unfortunate to-day as to displease you,” 
she began again, half sarcastically half poutingly, as she fol 
lowed him to the window recess whither he had gone in evi- 
dent irritation. “ It may be that my speech was too down- 
right ; perhaps in view of many little kindnesses shown me 
now and again by Bbmer it would have been well to be less 
irank and true,” — she elevated her eyebrows and shrugged 
her shoulders, — “but I am the sworn foe of all hypocrisy 
and have reason enough for indignation. My sister Henri- 
ette, with whose inheritance Bdmer has been speculating, will 


298 


AT THE COUNCILLOR'S. 


be a beggar; and Kitty? — rest assured that not a stiver of 
all her immense fortune is left.” 

“ So much the better 1” came as if only breathed from the 
lips that seemed at this moment to he curved beneath the 
thick moustache in a tender smile. 

Faint as was the sound, Flora’s ear caught it. “ So much 
the better?” she asked, in surprise, half laughing as she 
clasped her hands. “ Our youngest is certainly not much to 
my taste, but what crime has she committed, that her ill luck 
should so content you ?” 

He bit his lip, and, pressing his forehead against the win- 
dow-frame, looked abroad into the garden, where the golden 
morning light was just touching the head of the marble 
nymph at the fountain. 

“ Of course Kitty will not be so badly off as Henriette ; 
she will have the castle mill, and that is worth a good round 
sum,” she added, after a pause. “ She can live there when 
matters are arranged ; and indeed I know of no better refuge 
for our poor invalid. The sisters are very fond of each other, 
and would like to be together. In fact, no other arrangement 
is possible, for grandmamma’s limited income will make it 
impossible for her to take charge of Henriette, and of course 
I should not think of burdening you with my sick sister.” 
She suddenly put her hand within his arm and looked up at 
him tenderly. “ Ah, Leo, how thankful I shall be when we 
are seated together in the carriage to-morrow, leaving behind 
us all this disaster and misery!” 

With a passionate gesture and a face in which shone an 
indignation she had never seen there before, he snatched his 
arm from her clasp. “ Would you really forsake them all, 
leave them helpless and alone to meet the terrible shocks of 
the near future ?” he cried, as if beside himself. “ Go then 
whenever you choose, — I remain here 1” 

“ Leo !” she almost screamed, and then stood for a moment 


AT TEE COUNCILLOR’S. 


29 )^ 

speechless, overpowered by auger. She laid her clenched hand 
upon her heart, ^ as if she had received a stab. “ Surely you 
do not estimate the full meaning of your hasty words,” she 
said, slowly and emphatically. “ I will regard them only as 
they call for this reply from me. If we do not set out upon 
our tour to-morrow, before further revelations are made as to 
Homer’s affairs, — and surely no one can take it amiss of us 
that we quietly carry out plans so long decided upon, — our 
union must be indefinitely postponed.” 

He made no reply, but stood motionless in his former posi- 
tion, looking from the window. His silence evidently irritated 
her further : passion gleamed in her large gray eyes. 

“ I said before that I am willing to yield the first place in 
your heart to your practice, to your devotion to your profes- 
sion,” she went on, with increasing emphasis, but I will not 
yield one jot of my rights to other women, — remember that, 
Leo 1 I cannot see why I should be forced to struggle through 
the fearful crash that must come here, with grandmamma and 
my sisters, when I have the right to flee to the calm protec- 
tion of the home you have promised me. Can I do anything 
to alter the state of affairs ? Nothing whatever. Why, then, 
do you wish to consign me to needless suffering ? Must I too 
be an object for universal compassion ? I would sooner depart 
on the instant. I will not be pointed at and pitied.” 

She paced the room in agitation. “You have not the 
faintest excuse to make me for remaining here,” she said, 
standing at a distance from him.^ frowning darkly, when she 
had waited in vain for a reply. “ You cannot even plead the 
necessity here for your professional aid. You would have had 
to leave Henriette to her fate ; and as for Kitty, you wDl not 
assert that the scratch on her forehead which you yourself 
declared to be trifling demands all your medical skill. To 
tell the truth, I could scarcely suppress a laugh last night at 
your aunt’s conduct and your own. It is allowable for Hen 


300 


aT the councillors. 


riette to shed childish tears over a few drops of blood, — she i» 
weak and nervous, — but for you to behave as if our youngest, 
the robust child of a race of peasants, were framed of snow 

and aif ” She paused at the menacing look that Leo 

tamed upon her as he raised his finger, unable longer to control 
the expression of his indignation. 

She laughed angrily. “Do you think I am afraid? I re- 
turn menace for menace. Take care, the ‘ yes’ has not yet 
been uttered before the altar; it still lies with me to give 
a turn to affairs that you would hardly like. I repeat that 
your whole conduct yesterday with regard to Kitty was dis- 
tasteful to me. Am I not to sneer at your treating her like 
a princess ” 

“No, not like a princess, — like the best beloved of my 
heart, like my first and only love,” he interrupted her, in a 
deep, melodious voice. 

She started as if the earth had suddenly yawned at her 
feet ; involuntarily she raised her arms towards heaven, and 
then she approached him. 

He extended his hands as if to ward off her touch, and 
stood erect and decided. “Yes, I confess to you what I 
have hitherto struggled fiercely to lock within my own 
breast, from a shame that was the result of a perverted idea 
of right and wrong. I do it without a word of excuse or 
self-justification ” His voice sank. “ I have been faith- 

less to "you from the moment of my first meeting with 
Kitty.” 

Flora slowly dropped her arms. Plain and distinct as the 
words were, they were the most incredible she had ever heard. 
Pshaw I why had she betrayed such foolish terror ? It was 
true that the petted Flora Mangold had ensnared many a 
man’s heart to reject it pitilessly in wanton love of power: not 

season had passed without bringing her such triumphs ; but 
that a man should prove faithless to her — ridiculous ! The 


AT THE COUNCILLORS. 


301 


idea wa3 too absurd ; no one in tlie capital would credit it, 
lierself least of all. It was far easier to believe that Doctor 
Bruck had at length summoned courage to attempt to revenge 
himself. She had pushed her fiery trial to extremes ; in her 
justifiable irritation she had threatened to withhold her “yes” 
on the very altar-steps, and his long-suffering was exhausted ; 
lie was trying to punish her by arousing her jealousy. Her 
boundless vanity and frivolity postponed for a few minutes the 
bitterest experience of her life. 

She curled her lip ironically and folded her arms. “ Ah, 
at first sight, then !” she said. “ Was that outside in the cor- 
ridor, where she made her appearance like a genuine child of 
the people, the dust of travel on her boots and the poetic 
kerchief bundle in her hand?” 

It was plain that her trifling irritated the man almost to 
madness. At this terrible moment, when his “ first and only 
love” had asserted itself after suffering and struggles un- 
speakable, he was laughingly taken to task like a school-boy. 
He controlled himself, however. This question must be 
decided now ; to see that it was decided with dignity was his 
task. 

“ I had then been Kitty’s guide and companion from the 
mill, where I first saw her,” he replied, with tolerable com- 
posure. 

A dark blush of surprise crimsoned Flora’s cheek. Her 
eyes sparkled : she bit her lip. “ Ah ! this is the first I have 
heard of that. She too, — the hypocrite of the ‘ pure’ heart 
had her reasons for suppressing all mention of this interesting 
meeting.” She laUghed a short, hard laugh. “ And what 
more, Bruck ?” she demanded, her arms still folded, one foot 
advanced upon the carpet. 

“ If you persist in this tone, no explanation is possible for 
me except in writing.” And he indignantly attempted to pass 
her. 


26 


302 


AT THE COUNCILLOR’S. 


She stepped before him. ‘‘ Good heavens ! how tragically 
you take it! I am only doing my best to play my part in 
your little farce. What I you would strive with me in a war- 
fare of the pen? Dear Leo, believe me, you would come off 
the loser there, in spite of the telling medical brochures you 
have given to the world.” 

The arrogant smile that accompanied her words faded upon 
her lips in the presence of the stern cold glance that met her 
own. Gradually the suspicion dawned within her that he was 
indeed in earnest, bitter earnest ; not as to his pretended affec- 
tion for Kitty, — that passed all belief, — ^but as to his resolution, 
in spite of his passionate love for herself, to break with his 
capricious be'trothed at the last moment rather than submit 
to a life-long “ fiery trial.” She regretted the words she had 
spoken, but arrogance and vanity retained their mastery of 
her. 

“ Then go I” she said, stepping aside. “ I will not bear 
such looks as the one you have just given me. Go 1 I will 
not stir a finger to keep you.” She burst into a scornful 
laugh. “ Oh, rare masculine nature, so vaunted and eo sung ! 
There was a time when I begged almost upon my knees for 
my freedom ; the chains were only the more closely riveted 
upon me. Look then, and learn from me what in such 
moments is the sole and only stay even for a ‘ vain, weak, 
feminine nature pride ” 

“ It was pride that then made me inexorable, — invincible 
pride, although a very different quality from the mixture of 
anger and defiance which you designate as such,” he interrupted 
her. “ I confess I was wrong, — very wrong. I will trouble 
you, as I have said, with no self-justification that might seem 
to throw blame upon others however remotely. The motive 
for my conduct then sprang from a fancied need to assert my 
own force, my masculine will, which as I thought should rise 
superior to all vagaries of feeling. I would not give you back 


AT THE COUNCILLOR'S. 


303 


your troth because I had been accustomed to regard my own 
when once plighted as pledged for all eternity. From that 
point of view our betrothal was as indissoluble as a Catholic 
marriage. I do not deny that the relics of my student days 
had weight with me in a false conception of honour. I spoke 
of one spring of action to you on that evening, and I refer to 
it again. I did not choose to join the throng of those who 
had been bound to your chariot-wheels only to be publicly 
rejected. I repeat that this was a boyish, unformed view to 
take, since in such cases it is not the man’s honour, but the 
woman’s, that is compromised.” 

She turned from him and drummed angrily with her fingers 
upon the table. “ I never concealed from you the fact that I 
had been wooed repeatedly before our betrothal,” she said, 
with proud indifference. 

“ You never did, nor did any of my acquaintances,” he in- 
terposed. “ But you must not forget that you were the lofty 
ideal of my boyhood. At the university, in my last campaign, 
I was spurred on by the thought that the proud heart so often 
wooed had never inclined to any, that it would bless him who 

should win it ” He broke off ; he would not refer to the 

coquetry she had displayed ; he scorned to bring the slightest 
recrimination to his aid. 

“ And do you assert that I ever loved a single one of this 
throng of inevitable adorers ?” she asked, indignantly. 

Loved? No, Flora, not one; not even myself,” he ex- 
claimed, carried away for the moment. “ You loved only the 
incomparable beauty, the elegant carriage, the vaunted wit, 
the future fame, of the petted Flora Mangold.” 

“ Aha ! I have looked in vain for loving flattery from your 
lips. Even in the first days of our betrothal you had no 
caressing words for me, and now in your anger you paint a 
picture of me with which I may well be content.” 

He blushed like a girl. It was long since he had kissed 


304 


AT THE COUNCILLOR'S. 


that beautiful mouth, and yet that he had ever done so no^ 
seemed to him an offence against that other, whose puiity 
made her the first and only true embodiment of his ideal 
woman. Involuntarily he withdrew his glance from the eyes 
that gazed at him with laughter in their depths. 

Ah, she had done well to remind him of those happy first 
days, — the game was her own. “ Did you really come to 
me, Leo, only to find fault and quarrel with me?’’ she asked, 
approaching him again and hastily laying her hand on his 
arm. 

“ You forget that you sent for me. Flora,” he replied, 
gravely. “ I should not have come of my own accord. I 
have two patients above-stairs ; Henriette’s condition became 
critical towards morning. If you had not expressly desired 
my presence I should not have left her, nor should I, at 
this miserable and unhappy time, have brought affairs to the 
crisis you have just provoked.” 

“ Crisis ? Because in a fit of childish vexation I tola 
you to go 1 How can you take girlish pique in such bitter 
earnest?” What words from one who usually repudiated all 
maidenly emotion as unworthy her masculine intellect ! This 
slippery eel-like nature was hard to grapple with. 

The doctor looked dismayed. Her capricious words had 
caused him merely to describe a circle ; he was no farther 
with her than he had been at the beginning of the interview. 
“ There I do not blame you,” he answered, with a passionate 
impatience that would not be suppressed. “ I allowed myself 
to confess to you ” 

“ Ah, yes, you told me of your masculine will, which must 
rise superior to all vagaries of feeling. Has it played you false 
at last?” 

No not played me false, but submitted to better and purer 
convictions. Flora, I told you awhile ago that my refusal tc 
dissolve the engagement between us was the result of a falsr 


AT THE COUNCILLOR'S. 


305 


principle. I had long known that in your heart there was not 
a trace of true self-sacrificing love for me ; and I too had 
entirely outlived my feeling for you, which had never been a 
warm genuine emotion of the heart, but merely enthusiastic 
admiration. We had both been mistaken. True, I suffered 
severely in the thought of the loveless future that awaited 
me, — me to whom nature had given a heart craving affection; 
but I resigned myself to it, and you had less difficulty in 
reconciling yourself to your pretended rival, my profession, 
because our estrangement required of you no real sacrifice.” 

She was silent, and her eyes sought the ground ; she could 
not look into the grave intense face of the speaker and con- 
tradict the truth he uttered. 

“ And I clung to keeping my troth to the letter, all the 
more that my spirit was faithless to you ” 

“ Ah ! — indeed ?” 

“ Yes, Flora, I have struggled with my inclination as with 
a deadly foe.” He sighed heavily. “ From the first moment 
I have dealt cruelly with myself, and with the girl who in- 
spired me with this invincible passion. I would not permit 
the slightest, the most innocent approach upon her part. I 
would not even endure in my room the flowers she had held 
in her hand and thoughtlessly forgotten. She liked to be in 
my house. I forbade her coming as if she had desired to 
fire my roof. I was coldly uncivil to her even while I looked 
into her face that was heaven to me ” 

“ Ah, yes, one can well conceive it. Divine to the eye 
of a physician, — round and healthy, pure white and red 
painted in strong colours by Nature herself.” With these 
words the breathless listening figure awoke to life. “ And 
you dare to tell me this ? What ! this naive, innocent crea- 
ture throws flowers into the rooms of the men whom she 
would ensnare ” 

“ Hush I” He raised his hand with an air of such com- 
U 26* 


306 


AT THE COUNCILLORS. 


mand as silenced even those wayward lips. “ Overwhelm mt 
with reproaches, I shall not justify myself ; but in defence of 
Kitty I am armed to the teeth. She never wittingly attracted 
me ; she returned to Dresden with no knowledge of my heart 
or — of her own. Why she went you well know. Whilst from 
one quarter she was met by persuasions to contract a loveless 
marriage, from another she was informed that the rooms which 
she occupied were needed for the comfort of a high-born 
guest. I was 'witness to this uncivil treatment, and almost 
forgot myself so far as to remonstrate indignantly with the 
Frau President ; yet when an indirect request was made to 
me to receive the unwelcome inmate in my house I had no 
room there for her ; nay, more, an hour afterwards she was an 
involuntary auditor of my request to my aunt to break off all 

intercourse with her until I should have removed to L 

And she went, wounded to the core of her proud firm and 
yet gentle nature, and I was brutal nay wicked enough, for 
the sake of a false principle, for the sake of the idol of clay 
which represents certain ideas of honour, to persist in the 
monstrous lie which I tried to make credible to her, to myself, 
and to the world about me.” 

As if overpowered by his own description, he paused for 
some seconds. Flora threw herself upon the couch and 
clasped her head between her hands, as if she chose to hear 
no more ; but he continued : “ I pitilessly allowed her to go, 
and breathed again ; now I should be better of this mental 
torture. Folly, folly ! I did not see that at the moment 
she vanished from my sight a demon glided to my side and 
clutched my very heart-strings. It was not the cares of my 
profession that hollowed my cheeks and made me gloomy and 
taciturn in society, — incessant labor is my delight and steels 
my nerves and muscles, — it was longing, a longing that in 
creased as the days went by.” 

Ke had left the window, and was pacing the room in evi- 


AT THE COUNCILLOR'S. 


307 


dent agitation of mind, while Flora sat upright and tossed 
back the curls from her forehead. 

“ Upon Kitty’s account ?” she cried, with a bitter laugh. 
“ Oh, if papa could only see now how just was the instinct 
that guided his first-born when she refused to call the miller’s 
daughter mamma, and when she turned away in anger from 
his youngest born because she already had two real sisters and 
did not want a half-sister ! And it is no false principle which 
you have hitherto adopted as your spring of action, — no ! 
How many thousand ‘ monstrous lies’ are maintained and rule 
men’s actions for the sake of this principle ! — and those who 
maintain them victoriously will be respected as honourable men 
forever ” 

“ I vowed to myself that during this decisive interview I 
would not allude to the past,” he interrupted her, standing 
still, his voice trembling, but evidently determined to make 
an end of the matter, “yet you force me to refer to the scent 
between us which took place after the attack upon you in the 
forest. I then allowed my betrothed to tell me to my face 
that she hated me, or rather despised me, because untoward 
chance seemed to prevent my proving to be the celebrity 
to whom she had first plighted her troth. The following 
day I endured the unexampled transformation of this hatred 
into fond affection, in consequence of my title of Hofrath con- 
ferred upon me by the prince, and I silently suppressed my 
contempt and dragged on my chain, because I wished to be 
‘ respected as an honourable man.’ And I should have car- 
ried out the detestable falsehood if we two had been the only 
ones concerned in the matter, if the burden of a ruined exist- 
ence had been mine alone to bear. I should like to summon 
these three human hearts for judgment before the bar of true 
morality ; one pronounces the solemn ‘ yes’ before the altar 
because she thereby ensures to herself a desirable worldly 
position, and the two others who have suddenly become con- 


308 


AT THE COUNCILLOR'S. 


Bcious of the true sacred love that unites them, — who belong 
to each other although they may be as far asunder as the 



A half-stifled cry interrupted him. “ Did she really dare 
then, hypocrite that she is, to raise her eyes to her sister’s 
betrothed ? Has she avowed her sinful love to you ?” 

He looked at her for an instant with speechless indignation. 

However base the accusations you may utter, you cannot 
sully the stainless purity of that character,” he said, firmly. 
“ Since that departure I have never heard one word from her 
lips, not even during the past night when with returning 
consciousness she opened her eyes. She returned yesterday, 
but I did not know of it. I had retired to my garden to 
avoid the noise and bustle of the evening’s entertainment, 
reports of which had pursued me from patient to patient 
during the day, when I suddenly saw her upon the bridge, an 
exile who dared not cross it, banished thence by my cruel 
words.” He paused, and his face flushed; never could he 
confide to these ears how then and there the entrancing con- 
viction had possessed his soul that the girl weeping by the 
poplars loved him. 

“ After the fearful catastrophe I sought her in the park,” 
he continued, forcing himself to proceed calmly, “ and as I 
raised her from the ground I told myself that death had 
passed her by that I might yet be happy. I tore myself 
loose from the fetters of conventionality and a false sense 
of honour, I rose superior to the malice of a calumniating 
world, and resigned all claim to the title of a ‘ respected’ 
hypocrite.” 

During his last words Flora’s air and manner underwent a 
transformation ; she had lost her game, all was at an end, 
and the cold designing woman used her quick wit to become 
mistress of this situation also. All that was defiant in her 
bearing vanished, and was replaced by a soft cat-like sup- 


AT THE COUNCILLOR'S. 


309 


pleness. She hurriedly drew her moraing cap over her curls, 
and looking up from beneath them with a Satanic smile that 
showed her sharp white teeth, she said, as if in reply to his 
last declaration, “ What ! without asking me, Herr Doctor ? 
Well, let it go ! In view of all these naive confessions, I can- 
not but ask, with a sigh of relief, ‘ What would have become 
of me at the side of such a sentimental enthusiast?’ And 
therefore it happens well, well for each of us. I give you 
back your troth, but only as one might let loose a bird tied 
fast by a string that has one end wound ar(»und one’s finger.” 
She smiled again, and touched the betrothal-ring upon her 
hand with her delicate finger-tip. “ Woo the most charming 
girl in the capital, one who hates and envies me, — and there 
are enough who do so, — and I will resign the ring to her, but 
never to Kitty, never ! Do you hear ? Although you should 
flee across the ocean together, or stand before the altar in the 
most obscure village church, I shall be there at the right 
moment and forbid the union.” 

“ Thank God you have no power to do so 1” he said, draw- 
ing a deep breath, and very pale. 

“ Do you think so ? Trust me to bar the fulfilment of 
your hopes in the future, pitiable traitor that you are, who 
could trample down a superb flower-bed to pluck a daisy 1 
You shall hear from me again !” 

With a low, sneering laugh, she hastily retired to the next 
room, locking the door behind her, and almost at the same 
moment a footman knocked, to request the doctor to come 
instantly to Fraulein Henriette, who had suddenly become 
much worse- 


310 


AT THE COUNCILLOR'S. 


CHAPTER XXVl. 

For years nothing had excited such universal interest and 
sympathy in the capital as the explosion in the tower, to 
which not only the Councillor, but also Franz the miller, 
had fallen a victim. 

Two days had passed since the catastrophe, and in these 
forty-eight hours the horror and grief occasioned by the death 
of the millionaire had gradually been replaced by dark reports, 
alarming the business world, and carrying dismay among the 
labouring classes. The rich man’s name, it was said, repre- 
sented upon various books many thousands of indebtedness. 
The councillor had undertaken all the improvements upon 
his Baumgarten estate at the same time, and consequently 
only a small portion of their cost had been defrayed. The 
statement made upon the spot immediately after the explo- 
sion by the engineer, and afterwards confirmed by others, 
began to be widely circulated, and Von Romer’s debtors asked 
one another anxiously how the explosive material came to be 
in the vault just below the chamber containing all his bonds 
and securities. They did not wait long for a reply. Confi- 
dential letters from Berlin, where news of the councillor’s 
terrible death had not yet been received, spoke of immense 
losses which he must have sustained from the failures in quick 
succession of various houses there. He had indeed under- 
stood as few speculators ever had done how to keep his con- 
fidential business friends in ignorance of his money transac- 
tions; even the former book-keeper of the factory, whom 
after its sale he had retained as his private secretary, had no 
knowledge of his affairs. He had also been able so to dazzle 
the eyes of those with whom he had dealings by the splendour 


AT THE COUNCILLOR'S. 


311 


of the golden cloud in which he enveloped himself, that the 
dark side of his schemes and speculations never was evident 
to them. And thus, in spite of these revelations as to his 
losses, his fate might always have been bewailed as a result of 
his antiquarian love for the historic powder in the ruins, had 
he not made the mistake of selecting for his instrument of 
destruction a modern explosive material. This was the rent 
in the curtain which let in the light of reality upon the corpse, 
as Flora had said. 

While the town was thus being prepared for the avalanche 
of ruin which must ensue, certain changes were taking place 
in the house of mourning. On the first day crowds of friends 
had hastened to offer their sympathy, and, although every 
one stepped softly and spoke in whispers, there had ensued 
in consequence a certain noise and bustle. The second day 
on the contrary was marked by a profound and gloomy silence, 
which reigned below- and above-stairs, — all the more oppressive 
since in most of the rooms the shutters were closed behind the 
broken panes of glass, causing a vagirn, uncertain twilight. 
The Frau President did not yet dream that a second shock 
was to follow the terrible event in the ruin ; all her thoughts 
were occupied with speculations as to the amount of the im- 
mense fortune left by the unfortunate man, and the heir to 
whom it would fall. With all the egotism of old age her 
mind had already ceased to dwell upon the dead man him- 
self. The selfishness that animated alike the grandmother 
and her eldest granddaughter had never been so evident as 
in this time of trial. 

Immediately after her interview with the doctor. Flora had 
briefiy informed the Frau President that her engagement was 
broken off, without assigning any reason for the fact, and the 
old lady had shown no curiosity upon the subject, merely 
rousing herself from her self-absorption for a moment to listen, 
and then shrugging her shoulders by way of reply This change 


312 


AT THE COUNCILLORS. 


in her granddaughter’s prospects appeared to her of but small 
consequence compared with the tragedy which threatened to 
plunge an aristocratic, high-born woman from a position of 
princely luxury into all the horrors of straitened circumstances. 
Flora then withdrew to her own room, and under the pre- 
tence of a violent headache denied herself to visitors, spend- 
ing her time in packing and arranging her effects. 

In the servants’ hall the day which had been so long looked 
forward to as the wedding-day was marked by a confusion and 
subversion of all custom and order, such as only sudden prep- 
arations for departure can produce. The reports current in 
the town had fallen among the crowd of domestics and hangers- 
on like a bomb-shell, all the more terrifying since some among 
them on the morning after the disaster had hazarded a suspicion 
that “matters might not be quite straight.” They hourly 
expected the officers of the law to make their appearance ; each 
one locrked out for himself or herself ; the long tables set for 
the ball were stripped of everything eatable, and the bowls of 
punch were drained to the dregs. 

From these regions the first intimation came to the Frau 
President Urach that her rule in Villa Baumgartcn was consid- 
ered by others as at an end ; whereas formerly her first touch 
upon her hell had been answered instantly, she was now obliged 
to ring repeatedly — ^yes, even to call — before her orders were 
sullenly obeyed. She could hear too how her lap-dog, once 
caressed by the servants as their mistress’s pet, yelped under 
many a kick slyly administered, while eyes that had been wont 
to be cast down respectfully in her presence now stared her 
boldly in the face. 

The inmates on the third floor of the villa knew nothing of 
this changed demeanour on the part of the servants. Henriette 
had always been kind and considerate ; the men and maidsi had 
regarded the poor invalid as doomed to death ; they had been 
used to walk on tiptoe in her presence, and to speak in whisp^x«> 


AT THE COUNCILLOR'S. 


313 


and in this respect they now redoubled their efforts, since 
“ the Herr Hofrath” had told them that her state at present 
was critical. 

Yes, she lay in her bedroom, scarcely to be recognized ex- 
cept for her marvellously beautiful blue eyes, resigning at last 
willingly and without a pang her frail weary frame to the dark 
power that had dogged her footsteps for so many years. She 
w as perfectly conscious that she was dying, and had put away 
from her with loathing all the gaudy colours with which she 
had always seemed to hope to borrow a show of youth and 
health. As if in a snow-drift, she reclined among spotless linen, 
shaded by soft muslin curtains. She was to be spared the 
pain of being turned away from her home to seek, according 
to Flora’s arrangement, a refuge in the castle mill. She would 
be gone before the law in the name of hundreds of anxious 
creditors laid its hand upon the remains of the fabulous wealth 
which had been dispersed upon the winds ; she was to depart 
before hearing her brother-in-law’s memory branded with dis- 
grace and crime, — his terrible end had loosened her last weak 
hold upon earth. And her ardent desire was fulfilled : her be- 
loved physician watched over her to her latest breath ; he 

promised that he would remain with her and not go to L 

until she was “ much better.” Once more she was as happy 
as she had been in the house by the river ; Doctor Bruck 
watched over her, and Kitty was his aid, — the two people 
whom she loved most in the world. 

Kitty recovered very quickly, leaving her bed on the after- 
noon of the second day. She wore a narrow bandage about 
her brow, and the heavy braids of hair, too massive to be worn 
around her head for the present, hung down her back ; but this 
was all the change that could remind one that the terrible ex- 
plosion had hurled her to the ground and overwhelmed her 
with the waters of the fosse, where she must have perished 
if loving eyes had not sought and loving hands rescued her. 
27 


o 


314 


AT THE COUNCILLORS. 


Her bearing was as energetic and assured as ever, whatever 
tempests might assail her soul. In addition to her profound 
sorrow for her dying sister and Homer’s tragic fate, the cer- 
tainty forced itself upon her mind that her guardian was not 
without blame in what had occurred ; Doctor Bruck, to whom 
she had hinted her fears, had said not one word to contradi(3l 
them. He was as quiet and taciturn as ever. This might 
well be the result of Henriette’s condition, but there was a 
peculiar solemnity in his reserve, which seemed also to have 
infected the dean’s widow. 

The old lady on the afternoon of the first day had issued 
from the room adjoining Henriette’s, where she had had an 
interview with the doctor, her eyes full of tears, but evidently 
agitated by pleased surprise. She had then taken her leave 
to superintend the removal of various articles of furniture 
from her home to the doctor’s town-house, where she was to 
take up her abode with her friend until the repairs in the 
house by the river should be concluded. She came to the 
villa from time to time to see Henriette for a few moments, 
always avoiding any meeting with Flora. 

The beautiful woman had only come up-stairs once to see 
Henriette, just at the time when Doctor Bruck had obeyed 
an urgent request for his presence from the prince. It was 
strange that she should pass through the room where Kitty 
lay without even a glance towards the wounded girl, who lifted 
her head to address her. She left Henriette’s bedside and 
went down to her own apartments without again entering the 
adjoining room, and Nanni reported that Fraulein Flora was 
preparing shortly to leave the house. 

Once or twice during'the day the Frau President ascended 
the stairs, a cloud of black crape around her gray head, her 
countenance troubled, and utterly bereft of that proud com- 
posure the maintenance of which in times of trial she had 
always asserted to be the distinguishing characteristic of a 


AT THE COUNCILLOR'S. 


315 


well-balanced mind. Sbe could do nothing but weep and 
wring her hands convulsively at the terrible change that one 
moment had^made in the villa and its inmates. The exhausted 
invalid always breathed more freely when the door closed upon 
the melancholy figure shrouded in black. 

On the morning of the third day after the explosion, the 
old lady suddenly opened the door of Flora’s study and tot- 
tered across the threshold, holding in her hand a newspaper. 
Flora was busy writing tickets for her various trunks and 
packages ; she arose, with a foreboding of what was to come, 
and approached her grandmother, who had sunk into an arm 
chair. 

“ My four thousand thalers !” she moaned. “ Child, child 
I have been robbed by scoundrels of my little all, the misera 
ble pittance left me by my grandfather ! My four thousand 
thalers which I guarded like the apple of my eye ” 

“ No, grandmamma, tell the truth, — your four thousand 
thalers which you foolishly risked !” Flora interrupted her, 
harshly. “ I warned you, but I was laughed at and scorned 
because I would not invest my bonds and securities in the 
same way. The company in which you took stock has failed, 
I suppose.” 

“ Disgracefully ! wickedly ! Read that ! I shall have 
hardly fifty thalers to call my own,” the Frau President cried, 
with a failing voice, covering her face with her hands. “ But 
there is one thing I cannot understand,” she said, starting up 
again as Flora was hastily perusing the article in question : 

the paper refers to eai’lier statements ; the crash must have 
(.um3 four or five days ago ; and Moritz knew nothing of it, — 
impossible !” 

“ Might it not have something to do with your not receiv- 
ing your newspaper a few days since?” 

“Ah 1 you think, then, that our poor Moritz wished to spare 
me the shock during the marriage festivities, and suppressed 


316 


AT THE COUNCILLORS. 


the paper ? Oh, yes, — of course ! And he would have made 
good the loss to me. I am sure ; he himself persuaded me to 
do as I did. There is consolation in that thought at least, for 
if necessary I can swear that Moritz assumed the responsi- 
bility of my investment ; and surely I may hope to be repaid 
my four thousand thalers from his estate.” 

Flora tossed the paper upon the table. Regardless as she 
was wont to be of the feelings of others, in this case she 
scarcely knew in what words to dispel the illusion under 
which her grandmother laboured. She had been silent upoc 
this point until now, in hopes that some one of their dear 
friends from town would undertake the task of enlightening 
the Frau President ; but the dear friends had absented them- 
selves ; on the previous day not one had been near the villa, 
and now she must speak herself. She could not permit her 
grandmother to expose herself to ridicule by this inconceivable 
want of all suspicion of the truth. 

“ Grandmamma,” she said, in an under-tone, laying her hand 
upon the old lady’s arm, “ the first thing to be considered is 
the possible value of the estate to which you allude.” 

“ Oh, my child, only look out of the window and you will 
acknowledge that the payment of my poor four thousand would 
scarcely be felt by the heir, whoever it may be. Even if the 
enormous capital employed by Moritz in his business operations 
be lost in consequence of the destruction of his books and 
papers, the real estate and personal property which he owned 
will amount to a handsome fortune.” She sighed sad y, — “ I 
should be thankful indeed if I were his acknowledged heir.’’ 

Flora shrugged her shoulders. “ You might never como 
into possession ” 

The Frau President started up. “Are you mad. Flora? 
Weak as I am, I would run for hours, and fast for weeks, if I 
might thereby win the right to claim this inheritance. It is 
incredible that fate should be so cruel ! I, I, in my position, 


AT THE COUNCILLOR'S, 


317 


to be thrust forth from the house that owes its splendour, its 
aristocratic prestige, to me alone, and an obscure old woman, 
who has spent her life in darning linen, to be installed here in 
my place !” 

“ That need not vex you, grandmamma; his old aunt upon 
the Rhine will no more inherit than you will.” 

’• Ah ! Other heirs have appeared, then ?” 

“ Yes, — his creditors.” 

The Frau President staggered back to her arm-chair, with 
a low cry. 

“ Hush ! Pray do not make a scene,” Flora said, almost 
in a whisper. “ The people below-stairs know it much better 
than I ; they are all ready to flee from the house like rats from 
a sinking ship. I cannot and must not leave you any longer 
in ignorance of the state of affairs. We must be au fait if 
we would not be laughed at as dupes.” She drew the cloud 
of black tulle closer about her grandmother’s chin and neck 
and rearranged her disordered hair. “No one must see you 
thus, grandmamma,” she said, sternly. “ We must retire as 
gracefully as possible : the affair is too dishonourable and dis- 
graceful; there is no longer any doubt that the explosion 
was the work of despair — to give it its right name, a piece of 
villainy — on Rbmer’s part.” 

“ The wretch ! The infamous scoundrel !” shrieked the 
Frau President, rising, and fairly running to and fro in the 
apartment, rage lending strength to her feeble limbs. 

Flora pointed to a window before which there hung no pre- 
lecting shade. “ Remember, every one outside can hear you I” 
she said. “ Since f arly dawn tradesmen have been hovering 
near the house ; the excitement in the capital is tremendous ; 
some people have almost lost their senses with anxiety. 
Everything consumed by this large household for the last six 
months is unpaid for. The butcher has even dared to invade 
the house and demand that you should be called to speak with 
27 * 


318 


AT THE COUNCILLORS. 


him. He wishes, of course, before the ofl&cers of the law 
appear, to extort from you, as the head of the household, the 
six hundred thalers owing him. He was insolent enough to 
tell my maid that the ladies of the house, as well as the coun- 
cillor, had eaten his meat.” 

“ Ugh ! what a slough that miserable fellow has thrust us 
into, while he has made his own cowardly escape !” the Frau 
President exclaimed, half choked with rage, and yet instinct- 
ively withdrawing from the open window. She wrung her 
hands. “ Gracious heaven ! what a fearful situation ! What 
is to be done?” 

“ First of all, we must pack up everything that is our own 
and leave the house, if we would not have the officers seal up 
our effects also ; we might wait long before they would be re- 
turned to us. I am just going up-stairs to put away my” — 
she interrupted herself with a laugh — “ my trousseau in chests 
and trunks. Then I am going to make an inventory of the 
household articles, and if you yourself will not take charge of 
handing them over ” 

“Never ” 

“ Then the housekeeper can do it. We have reason enough 
to plead illness.” She took from her writing-table the key of 
the room where her trousseau was, whilst the Frau President 
retired to place her possessions if possible beyond the risk of 
being officially sealed up. 


AT THE COUNCILLOR’S. 


319 


CHAPTER XXVIL 

The morning air came, blowing over the tops of the trees 
in the park, through the open window, bringing into the 
: hurch-like stillness of the bedroom a dreamy murmur of waters 
from the distant river, and breathing the fragrance of migno- 
nette and heliotrope above the white face of the sleeping in- 
valid. The crimson leaves of the wild vine that wreathed the 
window-frame quivered in the soft, gentle breeze that seemed 
to have plucked the reddened leaves as it passed to strew them 
upon the white coverlet, the fair hair, and the pale hands. 
Henriette had asked to have them brought to her, “ as a fare- 
well from the summer that was also passing away.” 

Kitty sat by the bedside watching her sister’s slumber. She 
had, by a gentle gesture, scared away the robin that, accus- 
tomed to find crumbs scattered for him upon the window-sill, 
had boldly ventured into the room, his gentle twitter sounding 
alarmingly loud in the profound silence, in which each gasping 
breath issuing from the narrow chest was painfully audible. 
Doctor Bruck had been obliged to leave his patient for half an 
hour ; the prince made a point of seeing at least once a day 
the physician who had cured him in a few weeks of a trouble 
of long standing. And so Bruck had chosen for this visit a 
time when Henriette was sleeping and would not miss him. 

The maid had taken her place with her sewing behind the 
bed-curtains to be within call if needed. Every now and then 
she glanced towards the motionless figure in the arm-chair. 
They had declared below-stairs that the “ Fraulein from the 
mill” would be the worst suflerer from the master’s failure, 
but it seemed to Nanni that a girl who had just lost half a 
million must show it in some despairing way, and not look 


820 


AT THE COUNCILLOR'S. 


at all like the fair young creature who, with a bandage about 
her brow, and dressed in soft creamy white, sat watching by 
the bedside, grave but composed, and motionless as a statue. 
“ So young, but so steady, so fresh and blooming, but with 
so little care for the good things of life,” the maid thought 
after true lady’s-maid fashion : the beautiful Fraulein packing 
up her trousseau in a neighbouring apartment was far wiser. 
She was taking care of everything belonging to her ; sending 
her maid up- and down-stairs for every pocket-handkerchief 
that might have been mislaid ; she was determined to lose 
nothing — nothing. Ah, she had always known how to take 
care of herself, and was just as rich as ever : she had not lost 

a penny. Now she was going to set off for L before her 

lover, with all her trunks and boxes, and so get rid of the 
trouble that might come upon the villa at any moment. It 
was vexing enough, but everything prospered with her ; she 
might do as she pleased, and every one thought it all perfectly 
right. Suddenly there was such a noise in the trousseau-room 
that the sick girl started and moaned in her sleep. 

“Fraulein Flora is packing up her things there,” Nanni 
said, with affected unconcern, as Kitty started up and laid her 
hand soothingly upon that of her half-awakened sister. 

Henriette’s boudoir separated the two rooms, and Flora had 
of course supposed that no noise she made could be heard in 
the bedroom, or she would have been more careful in having 
her trunks moved. Kitty arose, and, closing behind her the 
door of the bedroom, crossed the sitting-room and entered the 
apartment whence the noise proceeded. 

Flora uttered a low cry — whether from fright or vexation 
was doubtful — as the tall white figure appeared upon the 
threshold and in a low voice begged for quiet for her sleeping 
sister. 

“ I am sorry. I did not think the noise made in moving 
the trunks could be heard in Henriette’s bedroom,” she said, 


AT THE COUNCILLOR’S. 


321 


curtly. You glide about so white and noiseless that one 
might suppose the ghostly Baumgarten ancestress, now that 
her wanderings in the tower are no longer possible, had taken 
up her abode in the villa. Mischief enough attends you. 
A good Christian ought to cross herself three times at sight 
of you.” 

She motioned to her maid to leave the room “ Stay !” she 
cried, tossing aside her bridal veil, as Kitty was about to 
follow the girl. “ If there is a spark of honour alive in y u, 
answer me now.” 

Kitty quietly released her dress from the detaining hand 
that grasped it, and turned back into the room. “ I am at 
your service,” she said, her clear, earnest eyes fixed calmly 
upon her sister’s agitated face. “ Only I must beg you not 
to speak so loud, lest Henriette should be disturbed.” 

Flora made no reply ; she seized Kitty’s hand and drew her 
towards a window. “ Come here ! Let me look at you ! 1 

must see how wooing suits you.” 

The young girl recoiled from the bold, flashing eyes, 
which, together with the insulting words, sent the blood to 
her face. “ As the elder sister, you should be ashamed to 
adopt such a tone ” 

“ Oh, divine innocence ! I tell you that, as the youngest 
sister, you should be ashamed to raise your eyes to your elder 
sister’s betrothed.” 

Kitty stood paralyzed. Who had searched the depths of 
her heart, and plucked thence the secret which she had 
guarded with all the force of her nature ? She was conseioufl 
that she lost colour; she felt that she was standing like s 
culprit detected in some crime ; and yet no word (iame froir 
her pale lips. 

“ See what a guilty conscience ! It could not be more per- 
fectly personified,” Flora said, with a laugh, touching the girl’s 
breast with her finger-tips. “Yes, yes, you will admit, my 
V 


322 


AT THE COUNCILLORS. 


dear, that for all your fine plots there is no duping your elder 
sister. She sees through such ‘ purity of soul’ ; her keen 
eye detects each tender approach, from the first spring flowers 
left in the man’s room, in the innocent hope that they may 
attract his notice.” 

Life now returned to the motionless figure. Involuntarily 
she clasped her hands. It seemed to her that ever since she 
had set foot upon the soil of her native place her unconscious, 
secret soul had been tracked like some wild animal by the 
huntsman. Was it possible that such hateful designs could 
be attributed to her because of the trifling negligence which 
had already caused her tears of vexation ? Righteous indig- 
nation stirred within her. 

“ I have already regretted my negligence on the occasion 
to which you seem to allude,” she said, proudly. “ But who- 
ever spoke of it to you ” 

“ Whoever ? He himself, child I" 

“ Then it is you who represent the trifling circumstance in 
an entirely false light.” 

“ Ah, take care, take care, child ! The passion so long 
suppressed gleams in your eyes,” Flora exclaimed, and, al 
though she smiled coldly, her foot tapped the floor impatien ly 
“Z am false, then ? Not Ae, when he boasts of his conquest T 

Again the colour left Kitty’s cheek as she firmly shook her 
head. “ No ! Although you should repeat that to me a 
thousand times, I would not believe it ! I would sooner douly 
all that I have been taught to believe in as good and true i 
He — even think a falsehood ? He, like some brainless flip, 

boast of a conquest ? He, who ” She paused, as if terrified 

at the passionate tone of her own voice. “ You calumniated 
him vilely when I first came home,” she added, controlling 
herself. “ Then I could not answer you, although instinctively 
I espoused his cause ; but now that I know him I will not 
nave a word breathed against him. It is monstrous that 1 


AT THE COUNCILLOR'S. 


323 


must say this to you. How can you find it in your heart, — 
how dare you persist in attainting the honour of the man 
whose name you will shortly bear ?” 

As she uttered these last words Flora turned and gazed at 
her incredulously, as if doubting the evidence of her senses. 
“ Either you are a most finished actress or — a declaration 
of love must be handed to you in black and white before 
you can understand it. You really know nothing of it?” 
With an impertinent smile, she laid her hands upon Kitty’s 
shoulders and gazed keenly into the clear brown eyes. Then 
thrusting her from her, she exclaimed, “ Pshaw ! What more 
do I need ? Have you not just fought for him as if you were 
willing to spend your last breath in his defence ?” 

Kitty turned towards the door. “ I cannot see why you 
detained me here,” she said. 

“ Ah ! was I too figurative, then ? Must it be said plainly 
in good German? Well, then, my dear, I wish nothing more 
or less than to know what has passed between Bruck and 
yourself yesterday and to-day.” 

“ What passed between us,” Kitty replied, “ you may 
readily learn word for word. He took great pains, and I 
made his task very hard, to destroy my blind reliance upon 
some future improvement in Henriette’s condition ; he took 
pains to prepare me ” — her voice trembled and tears glistened 
in her eyes — “ for her departure.” 

Flora, in evident confusion, walked away to the window. 
With all her idolatry of self, the suspicion faintly dawned 
upon her that she played but a poor part in contrast to these 
two people. “ Child, you must have long known of that,” 
she said, in a subdued tone. “ And have you not felt that 
we all ought to pray that the poor sufferer might be released 
from the burden of pain she has borne so long?” She ap- 
proached the girl once more. ‘ And was that really all that 
was said, word for word ?” 


324 


AT THE COUNCILLOR'S. 


A feeling of unutterable scorn awoke in Kitty’s mind 
This, she thought, was the jealousy, not of a loving woman, 
but of a vain one, who would watch her lover stealthily, and 
control, if she might, every word that he spoke. “ Do you 
suppose that in an hour when he lends support and consolation 
to the dying. Doctor Bruck has either mind or heart for aught 
else,” she asked, with grave reproof in her tone, “ and when, 
besides, in the sufferer to whom he ministers he loses the 
dearest friend he has upon earth?” 

“ Yes, she loved him,” Flora said, coldly. 

Kitty’s cheeks burned. Flora fairly exulted in the girlish 
embarrassment which was so evident. “ Yes, yes, the man 
may congratulate himself upon the charm which he uncon- 
sciously possesses, and which attracts female hearts as the 
light of a candle allures moths. The world will laugh to 
learn that all the daughters Mangold the banker left behind 
him succumbed to the spell. Stay!” She had spoken in 
what was almost a playful tone, until Kitty once more hast- 
ened towards the door, and then the authoritative word came 
like a command from her lips. The young girl paused as if 
rooted to the spot, for fear lest a louder repetition of the 
word might arouse her sleeping sister. “ Even our youngest, 
the fair miller’s maid, hardy of limb and strong in soul, has 
proved weak,” Flora continued. “ Oh, you may protest as 
you please, with that defiant air and that pitiable pretence of 
offended pride. M ell, I will believe you ; you can clear your 
fame, if you will retract the eulogium you pronounced upon 

Bruck just now with such incomparable emphasis ” 

“ I do not retract one iota !” 

“ Do you not see, wicked girl, that you are bound hand 
and foot in the fetters of your sinful love ? Look in my eyes ! 
Can you look your betrayed sister in the face and say ‘ No’ ? ” 
Kitty raised her bowed head and looked back over her 
•houlder ; she put her hand up to the wound in her forehead, 


AT THE COUNCILLOR'S. 


325 


^hich was beginning to throb, but it was done me {hanically ; 
even if her life-blood had been streaming from it, she would 
hardly have heeded it at this moment, when thought and 
feeling were concentrated upon one point. “ You have no 
right to require from me an answer to such a question,” 
she said, firmly, although her heart throbbed loud and fast \ 
“ and I am not bound to reply to you. But you have called me 
vicked, and have spoken of treachery ; these are the very words 
with which I reproached myself until I understood the true 
nature of the affection which you call sinful ” 

“ Ah, a confession after the most approved style I” 

A soft smile played about the pale lips ; the face, white it 
seemed as the bandage about the brow, was transfigured for 
the moment. “ Yes, Flora, I confess, because I have no cause 
for shame. I confess too for our dead father’s sake. I will 
not, in view of that dear memory, bear upon my soul even 
the appearance of treachery towards one of my sisters. We 
are not responsible for our feelings, but for the power that we 
allow them ; this I know after a fruitless struggle with a mys- 
terious affection, which seems to have been born with me, to 
have been present with me always, though slumbering. Is it 
a crime to approach reverently another’s domestic altar ? Is 
it a crime to look up gladly at a tree growing in another’s 
garden ? Is it a crime to love and not covet ? I desire 
nothing of you ; I shall never cross your path or your over’s. 
You shall never hear of me again ; you need never even re- 
member me. How can it harm either of you that I shall love 
him while I have breath, and be faithful to him as to one 
taken from me by death ?’' 

A low laugh interrupted her. “ Take care, child 1 In a 
moment your rhapsody will clothe itself in rhyme.” 

“ No, Flora, that I leave to you, although I know that 
my whole conception of life has been more exalted since this 
affection has had lodgment in my heart.” Sha stepped back 

28 


326 


AT THE COUNCILLORS. 


into the room, past the stand upon which hung the wedding 
gown. Without knowing it, she brushed by the hanging 
train, and, with a low rustle, the whole silken fabric fell upon 
the floor. 

Kitty stooped to raise it, but Flora pushed the satin scorn- 
fully aside with her foot. “ Let it lie I” she said, bitterly. 
“ Even the lifeless stulf rebels against a sister’s treachery.” 

“And are you free from blame. Flora?” Kitty asked. 
Her blood was easily roused ; her sense of justice was strong, 
and not even for the sake of peace would she submit to 
the persistent injustice of wayward egotism. “ What was 
it that flrst filled my heart? Sympathy, unutterable sympa- 
thy for the noble man whom you misunderstood, whom you 
reviled to the world, and from whom you struggled to be free. 
If all this were not wrong, why did you ask forgiveness ? I 

have seen you penitent When you threw the ring into the 

river ” 

“ G«od God, Kitty ! do not retail again that old vision of 
yours,” Flora cried, putting her fingers to her ears for a mo- 
ment, and then turning to her sister and holding up her hand 
before her eyes. “ There, there it is. And I can assure you 
it is genuine ; the letters engraved inside leave nothing to be 
desired. And besides let me tell you, to put an end to the 
matter, that the thing will play no further part in my lifq 
except that of a wire with which tc guide a puppet, My en- 
gagement with Bruck is broken — — ” 

Kitty started in amazement. “ You tried in vain tc break 
it a while ago,” she stammered. 

“Yes; then the fellow had some remnant of strength in 
him ; now he has become weak as a child.” 

“ Flora, he has released you ?” 

“Good heavens, yes I if you must hear the joyful news a 
second time.” 

“Then he never loved you. Then he insisted upon hi* 


AT THE C0UNC1jl.^0R>S. 


327 


rights, prompted by some other motive. Thank God, he may 
yet be happy !” 

“ Do you think so ? I still have a voice in the matter,” 
said Flora. She laid her hand with a firm pressure upon her 
sister’s arm, and looked with a diabolic expression into the 
honest brown eyes. “ I will never forgive him for letting me 
beg in vain for my freedom. He shall know now what it 
is to have the cup dashed from thirsting lips. I will never 
resign his ring ” 

“ The counterfeit ” 

“ How can you prove that, child ? Where are your wit- 
nesses ? Your accusation of me has not a foot to stand upon. 
I have been rightly credited with legal acumen. But do not 
be alarmed. I would not be so cruel as to forbid marriage 
altogether to my former betrothed ; he may marry — to-morrow, 
if he pleases ; but only one whom he does not love, — I have 
not the least objection to a marriage of convenience. I shall 
haunt his path, detect every emotion of his soul which he 
may happen to betray. Woe be to him should he attempt 
to defy me !” 

She had picked up one of the sprays of orange-blossoms 
scattered about the room, and as she waved it to and fro she 
looked like some beautiful tigress circling with subtle, supple 
windings her destined prey. 

“ Well, Kitty, since you love him, do you not wish to beg 
for him?” she began again, slowly emphasizing her words. 
“ Look, I have his happiness in my hands. I can crush it, or 
bid it live and flourish, according to my pleasure. This abso- 
lute power is priceless to me, of course, and yet I can hardly 
resist the temptation to resign it, chiefly to test the strength 
of what is so vaunted as true love. Suppose I were to place 
this ring in your hands, with the right to dispose of it as you 
please, — understand me, I myself should from that moment 
-esign all claim, jill right of protest, — would you, in orde^* 


328 


AT THE COUNCILLOR'S. 


that Bruck might from this time be free to choose, submit tc 
any conditions that I should impose ?” 

Kitty had involuntarily pressed her clasped hands tightly 
to her throbbing breast, — there was a terrible conflict going 
on within her. “ I will comply with any even the hardest 
conditions immediately, if only I may free him from you! 
toils,” came hoarsely but resolutely from her lips. 

“ Not too fast, my child. You might possibly destroy the 
happiness of your own life by too ready a self-sacrifice.” 

The young girl paused for a moment, and put one hand up 
to her aching head. Evidently, strong though she was, one 
support after another was failing her, her youthful ardour, 
the elastic force that breeds self-reliance, faith in her own 
power of self-conquest : her will alone remained firm. “ I 
know what I mean; there is no need for reflection,” she said. 

Flora held the orange-spray before her face as if she were 
inhaling the fragrance of the artificial blossoms. “ What if 
his choice — perhaps only to humiliate me — ^fell upon yourself?” 
she asked, looking askance at her young sister. 

Kitty’s breath failed her. “ It never will, — he never liked 
me!” 

“True. But suppose he should tell you that he loves 
you, the pledge of his freedom would scarcely be safe in your 
hands, I am afraid. Some day he would woo his beloved, 
and I might fare ill with my conditions. No 1 I will keep my 
ring !” 

“ Just heaven ! can it really be that one sister can so 
torture another ?” Kitty cried, in indignant pain. “ And yet 
at this very moment, seeing as I do your incorrigible egotism, 
your pitiless nature, your invincible passion for intrigue more 
clearly than ever before, I am all the more impelled to deliver 
your former lover at any price from the vampire that thirsts 
for his life-blood. You must not retain any hold upon him. 
He shall begin his life anew, in a home where he will find 


AT THE COUNCILLOR'S. 


329 


happiness and peace, now that he is no longer condemavTl to lead 

a mere life of society by the side of a heartless coquette ” 

“ Many thanks for your flattering description ! You show 
far too much enthusiasm for his happiness to allow of my en- 
trusting my treasure to your keeping.” 

Grive it to me ; you may do so without fear.” 

“ Even if he should indeed and in truth love you ?” 

The girl’s lips quivered in absolute agony, she wrung her 
hands as in despair, but she was firm. “ What if it were so ? 
I should be no irreparable loss. He can easily find a better 
than I. His past bitter experience is warrant that he will not 
again deceive himself. Give me the ring, the counterfeit. 
Although I know that not the least particle of value attaches 
to it in reality, I promise you to respect it as the one now 
lying in the river, since it is a sign and pledge of Brack’s en- 
franchisement.” She held out her hand. 

“ I know you to be honourable enough never to use it for 
your own advantage,” Flora said, slowly and with emphasis, 
drawing off the ring. A tremor shook Kitty’s limbs as the gold 
touched her palm, and her fingers closed tight upon the circlet, 
while a contemptuous smile hovered upon her lips ; she was 
too proud to assert by a single syllable her purity of purpose. 
“Well?” Flora cried. 

“ I have given you my word ; now I am the puppet whom 
you rule by this wire,” — she raised her closed hand, — “ are 
you satisfied?” And she left the room. 

As she crossed the threshold. Doctor Bruck was ascending 
the opposite staircase. He glanced towards the two figures, 
the one erect and triumphant in the middle of the room, 
coldly smiling, while the girl, issuing from it flushed and 
agitated, almost broke down at sight of him. 

He hurried to her side, and, regardless of all else, put his 
arm around her to support her. The door closed behind them 
the accompaniment of a low, mocking laugh. 

28 * 


S30 


AT THE COUNCILLOR'S. 


CHAPTER XXVIII. 

In the afternoon the tempest which flying reports had pre^ 
Baged, as sea-mews announce the coming storm, broke over the 
house. The legal authorities had been expected since the 
early morning, and yet when they made their appearance it 
was like an electric shock. They came too soon for every one. 
The servants were engaged in moving the Frau President’s 
old-fashioned mahogany furniture, with its dusty and torn 
coverings, from the garrets down into the hall ; Flora’s trunks 
were still awaiting the tardy express-wagon ; the cellars were still 
filled with the wine that there had been no time to remove. 

The Frau President proudly retired to her bedroom, re- 
fusing to see the gentlemen ; but, although they were perfectly 
respectful in demeanour, they could not regard her nerves, but 
were obliged to ask if the furniture of the room belonged to 
her, and, when answered in the negative, to request her to 
remove to an adjoining empty cabinet, since the room must be 
officially sealed up. In this small apartment the old furniture 
was placed, the bed aired, and covered with the faded brown 
silk coverlet which the Frau President had not seen for years, 
and which caused her a shudder of disgust. Her maid arranged 
everything as comfortably as possible, putting flowers upon the 
little mahogany table, and bringing from the bedroom many 
a trifle that her spoiled mistress had been accustomed to use ; 
but the old lady never noticed the pains she was taking : she 
sat by the window gazing towards the pavilion, the new roof 
of which was just visible among the trees. 

This dreaded and detested “dower-house” had grown into 
a fairy habitation. Rich curtains hung at the windows; 
everything shone in newness and beauty, — the smooth floors, 


AT THE COUNCILLOR’S. 


331 


the elegant furniture, the frescoes, the chandeliers ; even the 
kitchen was thoroughly fitted up, down to the commonest iron 
spoon. This “ bijou” was to have been hers as long as she 
lived, and she had scorned it for fear lest it might exile her 
from the society wont to gather at the councillor’s. And now 
— and now ! 

Meanwhile, Flora was contending for her possessions ; bu^ 
all her arguments, even her appeal to the testimony of the 
acivants, were in vain. “Fraulein Mangold,” the officials 
courteously persisted, “ might reclaim her own afterwards, but 
at present everything must be placed under seal.” And for 
hours there was a passing to and fro, up and down stairs. All 
ffie plants adorning the house were placed in the conserva- 
irries, one key after another was turned in the lock, and every 
open window was closed. It was dreary to mark the silence 
and darkness that settled down wherever the officials had 
finished their work. Amidst it all the servants grumbled 
openly about the wages due them ; but each one made ready 
to leave the house, where every comfort lay behind lock 
and key, and where the fiesh-pots no longer simmered on 
the fire. The gardener alone remained, and was lodged in the 
servants’ hall. 

While this confusion reigned, the soul of the sick girl 
above-stairs unfolded its wings to leave, calmly and peacefully, 
after the confiict of years, the worn and weary body. 

Henriette’s room was unvisited by the officials ; everything 
about the dying girl was her own. Great pains were taken to 
avoid even a loud footfall on the third fioor, and nothing 
approached the parting soul that could startle or annoy it. 
She looked through her window into the rosy heavens ; she 
watched the swallows, their white breasts and wings looking 
like silver crosses floating among the pink evening clouds. On 
the previous day, thin wreaths of vapour had still floated above 
the ru 21, and distant noises had troubled the sick girl’s mind, 


332 


AT THE COUNCILLOR'S. 


causing it to dwell painfully upon the terrible spot where the 
crashing walls had buried beneath their fragments the “ rash 
man” to whom, with all his weaknesses, she had clung in sis- 
terly affection. But at this solemn evening hour, at the close 
of the day and of a brief mortal existence, there was nothing 
to remind one of previous horrors. 

The doctor sat by Henriette’s bedside. He saw how the 
rapid finger of death emphasized and shaipened each outline 
of the face, still informed for a brief space of time with 
consciousness. The ebbing stream of life moved her pulses 
in faint isolated throbs, like retreating waves returning now 
and then to plash once more upon a deserted shore. 

“ Flora!” the dying girl whispered, with a speaking glance. 

“ Do you wish to see her?” he asked, making ready to go 
for her. 

Henriette faintly shook her head. “ You will not be vexed 

that I wish to be alone with you and Kitty until ” She 

did not finish the sentence, but plucked at the fading crimson 
vine-leaves upon the coverlet. “ I will spare her, and she will 
be grateful,” — there was a faint shade of irony in her smile, — 
“ she detests touching scenes. You will take her my farewell, 
Leo.” 

The doctor silently inclined his head. By his side stood 
Kitty. Her heart beat fast ; her dying sister had no suspi* 
cion that the relations upon which her mind was dwelling no 
longer existed. Should she learn the truth? She glanced 
anxiously at the doctor’s face: it was grave and composed; 
no sudden and unexpected announcement should disturb the 
peace of the departing soul, and for preparation there was no 
time. 

Henriette’s eyes wandered to the evening sky. “ How ex- 
quisitely clear and rosy 1 It must be a heavenly delight for 
the freed soul to bathe in such splendour!” she whispered, 
fervently. “ Will it ever be allowed to look back here ? I 


AT THE COUNCILLOR’S. 


333 


oqI} want to look once, to see” — she turned her head on the 
pillow with difficulty, and gazed, with eyes glowing for the 
first time with unutterable love, full at Bruck — “ if you 
are happy, Leo. Then I care not how distant are the starry 
worlds to which I may be borne.” Even in this her last houi 
the poor girl could not bring herself to say, “ I must know 
you happy, or I shall not be content, for I have .oved you in- 
tensely with every fibre of my heart.” 

A transfiguring glow seemed to illumine the doctor’s bowed 
head. “All is well with me, Henriette,” he said, with emo- 
tion. “ I dare to hope that I shall not pass a lonely and em- 
bittered life; nay, better still, I know that even at the eleventh 
hour my dream of the true happiness of existence will be 
fulfilled. Does that content you, my sister?” He pressed 
his lips upon the small hand that was growing cold in his own. 
“ I thank you from my soul,” he added. 

A blush, faint and rosy as the -evening sky, came and went 
upon the cheek of the dying girl ; her timid glance involuntarily 
sought her sister, who, her hand leaning upon Bruck’s chair, 
was evidently struggling to control her grief At sight of her 
Henriette’s heart melted in pity and sympathy. 

“Look at my Kitty, Leo !” she said, imploringly, in a fail- 
ing voice. “ Let me tell you of what has so often distressed 
and pained me. You have always been so cold to her, — once 
harsh even to cruelty, — and yet there is none to be compared 
to her. Leo, I have never understood your prejudice against 
her. Be kind to her — befriend her ” 

“ To my latest breath ! while life lasts !” he interrupted her, 
scarce able to master his emotion. 

“ Then all is well ! I know you will take care of her, — 
and my strong, brave darling will stand between you and all 
annoyance ” 

“ Like a faithful sister, which from this moment I am,” 
Kitty completed the sentence, in a choking voice. 


334 


AT THE COUNCILLOR'S. 


An ecstatic smile hovered about Henriette’s mouth. She 
closed her eyes, and did not see the shudder that shook her 
strong sister’s frame as the doctor held out his hand to her 
and she rejected it as if she had no right to its mute pressure. 
The smile faded, and the dying girl struggled for breath. 

Say farewell to grandmamma. Now I would rest, — ah, 
give me rest, Leo, I entreat 1” she gasped. 

“ In ten minutes you will fall asleep, Henriette,” he said, in 
a low, soothing tone. He laid her hand upon the coverlet, 
and softly put his arm beneath the pillow supporting her head ; 
she lay like a child upon his breast, — a happy death ! 

And before the ten minutes were passed she slept. The 
fluttering vine-leaves at the window stirred, as if lightly 
touched, and the rosy light in the sky, in which the parting 
soul had longed to bathe, suddenly glowed to deepest crimson. 
The little tame bird perched upon the window-sill as usual 
at sunset, — ^his soft twitter towards the waxen face upon the 
pillow was heard for the last time, — and then these windows 
also were closed, not to be opened until the councillor’s house 
had passed into stranger hands. 

The Frau President came up to the room, bowed as with a 
sudden added weight of the age she had so steadily tried to 
ignore. The white cloud of tulle once more enveloped cheek 
and chin : no mourning should be worn for a scoundrel, 
she said. She went to the bedside, and a spasm passed over 
her features as she gazed upon the calm countenance of the 
dead. “ She is happy,” she said, in a broken voice. “ She 
has chosen the better part, — she need not go into exile, — she 
is spared the bitter, bitter struggle with poverty.” 

But Flora came and went without a word. She took no 
note of the two faithful guardians at the bedside. She kissed 
her dead sister upon the brow, and then walked with head 
erect to the door by which she had entered. She paused, it 
is true, upon the threshold, but she never turned either her 


AT THE COUNCILLORS. 


335 


eyes or her head towards where the doctor stood and gravely 
delivered to her her sister’s last message. She bent her head 
almost imperceptibly in token that she heard what was said, 
and then rustled down the stairs, to put on her bonnet and go 
to the nearest hotel, where she had engaged lodgings for herself 
and her grandmother. No one, not even the dead, was per- 
mitted to pass another night beneath the criminal’s roof. 

And when, after nightfall, Henriette’s form had been borne 
away to the hall, where all, clad for the grave and heaped 
with flowers, await the opening of their latest earthly portal, 
the last room on the third floor was closed and locked, and the 
doctor and Kitty descended the stairs together. Their steps 
echoed drearily through the silent, deserted house. The lan- 
tern carried before them by the gardener shed abroad a ghostly 
light over the lonely walls and passages, where so lately the 
stream of life had flowed in luxurious evidence of what was 
after all but a false, fleeting show of wealth. 

The soft night air, as they walked along, was as balm to 
Kitty’s burning eyes. A clear, starry sky canopied the silent 
park, the single groups of trees could be distinguished, and 
the mirror of the pond gleamed like dull silver through a 
misty veil. The gravel crunched beneath their tread, and 
from afar was heard the water of the weir, but not a leaf or 
a twig stirred, — it was as quiet as it had been for hours in 
Henriette’s room. And therefore Kitty started in terror when 
the doctor’s full deep voice broke the silence. They had 
reached the leafy entrance of the avenue, and he paused. 

“ I leave the capital in a few days, and I fear that, until 
then, you will neither visit my aunt nor allow me to come to 
the mill,” he said, with both sorrow and eagerness in his tone. 

I tell myself also that we are walking together for the last 
time, — that is, for the present ” 

“ Forever !” she interrupted him, sadly but firmly. 

“ No, Kitty 1’ he said, as firmly. “ Tt would be a separa- 


S36 


AT THE COUNCILLORS. 


tion forever if your words spoken a few hours since could 
not be gainsaid. I do not want a sister. Do you think a 
man can content himself with sisterly letters when he is thirst- 
ing for loving words from beloved lips ? But no, — I did not 
mean to speak thus to-day. Only selfishness could betray me 
into such entreaties while you are sufiering as at present. 
One thing I must say to you, however. This afternoon you 
had an interview which, when I met you, had agitated you 
profoundly. You had been told what has happened, and of 
course the whole odium that always attaches to the sudden 
rupture of an engagement had been thrown upon me, — I saw 
that in your face ; and afterwards, when for love of Henriette 
you promised to be a sister to me, I heard the power that evil 
whispers had gained over you, — thank God, not for always ! 
I know — I know that your clear, just insight may be dimmed 
for a while ; but this cannot last. Kitty, on that terrible 
afternoon I was in my garden, and saw how, on the oppo- 
site river-bank, a girl leaned her brow against a tree and wept 
bitterly.” 

Kitty turned as if to fiee down the avenue, but Bruck had 
taken her hand and held it in a firm grasp. “ I saw before me 
the girl whom I was longing to clasp in my arms. I had just 
been victorious in the last of those self-confiicts from which I 
had suffered for months ; victorious, because I had liberated 
myself from false views of life and had admitted that I should 
be a perjured traitor if I contracted a hated marriage while 
my whole being was filled with an invincible passion. There 
stood the one who was dearer to me than all else beside, 
and my heart leaped, for her streaming eyes did not look 

towards my aunt’s windows, but ” He paused, and 

pressed the band which he held to his lips, while she 
leaned against the trunk of a linden, incapable of uttering 
a word. 

“ I cannot blame her who was to have been my wife ; that 


2 ' THE COUNCILLOR'S. 


337 


matters have been allowed to go so far is my fault, — mine only. 
I was weak enough, for dread of what the world might say, 
to continue our engagement after I had discovered, with shame 
and anguish, that I had been attracted by a beautiful exterior 
animated by no qualities of mind or heart that did not crumble 
to insignificance if subjected to the slightest test. This dis- 
covery I made in the first weeks of our betrothal.” 

He was wrong ; the qualities enshrined within that lovely 
fl?rm were not insignificant. Flora’s was a nature incredibly 
malicious. She had known then of Bruck’s love for her sister, 
of course from his own confession. What a contemptible plot I 
Her victim had the ring in her possession ; she had bought it 
with a price ; her word was pledged even though Bruck should 
woo herself The young girl’s eyes wandered in despair to 
the starry heavens. She knew that Flora would never release 
her from her promise although she should implore her on her 
knees. There would be no need even of Flora’s eloquence to 
convince the world that she was betrayed and deceived, the 
dupe of her younger sister, who had lured her lover from her. 
That this was the colour she would give to what had taken 
place was clear as the stars above. How they sparkled, those 
shining worlds I To which of those golden orbs had the spirit 
of her sister been borne upon the rosy evening air ? Could 
she look back to see how the happiness of the man whom she 
had loved would be wrecked ? 

“You do not speak, Kitty. Your silence rebukes me ; I 
ought not to have spoken to-day,” he began again. “ I will 
not press you further. I do not ignore the fact that my desires 
will arouse a confiict within you : you were not else the strictly 
just and honourable girl that you are ; but I know also that 
I shall attain the goal I so long for without stormy arguments 
and entreaties. I will leave you time for consideration and 
recovery from the grief that now fills your soul and colours 
every thought and feeling. I go without the assurance that 
W 29 


338 


THE COUNCILLORS. 


alone can give me peace, but — I shall come again. And now 
we will go on to the mill. Take my arm in full confidence 
that no brother could care for you with less thought of self 
than fills my soul at this moment. You might with equal 
tranquillity put yourself in charge of my aunt and myself 
when we set out on our way to L .” 

“ I shall not return to Saxony,” she said. She had placed 
her hand within his arm, and they walked slowly along the 
avenue. The girl’s limbs seemed possessed with a mortal 
torpor that clutched at her throbbing heart and deadened 
the voice that came so hard and cold from her lips. “ I found 
when I was last in Dresden that in my present state of mind 
there is no help for me in incessant study or the performance 
of my trifling household duties. I must have some occupation 
requiring sustained absorbing labour day after day. ' Until a few 
days ago I hesitated to express this need ; I knew my first hint 
at such a thing would arouse a storm of expostulation from my 
guardian. The heiress’s duty was all marked out for her, and 
consisted in spending her income as brilliantly as possible. All 
that is past. The dreaded safe is no longer in existence, or 
rather its paper contents were worthless before it was destroyed. 
This I have been quite sure of, since Nanni whispered to me 
this afternoon that everything was being sealed up. I am 
right, my hundreds of thousands have vanished, have they 
not?” 

“ I hardly think anything can be saved ” 

“ But I still have my mill, and there I will stay. I shall, 
perhaps, lay myself open to your serious disapproval when 1 
toll you that from this time I wish to attend to my affairs 
myself. It savours, perhaps, of ‘ women’s rights’ for a young 
girl to undertake the management of business affairs and repre- 
sent a firm in her own person.” 

“ I am not so prejudiced ; 1 advocate warmly such independ- 
ence upon a woman’s part, and I know that you, with your 


AT THE COUNCILLOR'S. 


339 


force and energy, would do well ; but it is not your vocation, 
Kitty. Your place is at the head of a happy home, not stand- 
ing day after day reckoning up columns of figures at a desk 
in a counting-room. Do not begin it ! For at some future 
day you will be carried off without a question as to the debit 
and credit in your books, and terrible confusion might be the 
consequence.” 

If the light of the stars could only have illuminated the 
dark avenue, the speaker would never have allowed the girl 
at his side to leave him, so hopeless a despair was painted on 
her face ; he would have taken her in charge then and there, 
and wrung from her the thoughts that were torturing her. 
But the darkness covered the terrible struggle that was going 
on beside him, betrayed by no word or sign, not even a sigh, 
and he ascribed the depression and discouragement which had 
made her voice so dull and monotonous to the misery of the 
parting scene she had gone through with her dead sister. 

Now and then a pebble rattled from beneath their feet on 
the gravelled road, and the rushing of the waters of the stream 
sounded loud and near in the silence that followed the doctor’s 
last words. The lindens of the avenue retreated ; the heavens 
stretched broadly above, and standing clear against their 
sparkling depths were the two slim poplars that flanked the 
wooden bridge. 

At sight of them the doctor involuntarily pressed the girl’s 
arm closer to his side. “ There, Kitty,” he whispered ; “ there 
you used to look for the first violets. I promised you you 
should do so in future, and I can keep my word: I shal 
always spend my Easter holidays here.” 

Kitty pressed her clenched hand to her breast ; she thought 
the violent throbbing of her heart would suffocate her; and 
yet she asked, quietly, “ Will your aunt accompany you to 
L ?” 

“ Yes ; she will undertake the care of my household so long 


340 


AT THE COUNCILLORS. 


as I am alone. She sacrifices much to do so, and will be 
thankful to shake the dust of the large city from her feet and 
return hither to her green country home. I know that the 
brave, true heart for which I sue will not delay her release too 
long,” he added, in a tone of tender entreaty. 

A light appeared twinkling from the mill window. Franz 
the miller had been buried this afternoon, leaving behind him 
a widow and three children. The roof that still sheltered 
them did not belong to them, and the miller’s small savings 
were not sufficient for their support. Susy had been to the 
villa for a few moments to look after her mistress, and had 
described to Kitty the despair of the poor wretches, and 
mourned over “the topsy-turvy state of the business without 
any master.” 

The bow-window of the room in the lower story looking 
towards the park was dark. The outline of the mill buildings 
rose black and shapeless against the sky, — it all seemed lonely 
and deserted ; the bark of the watch-dog, who resented the 
approaching footsteps, sounded lost as in some endless desert. 
The wheels were silent, and the huge room was so empty and 
echoing that one might have fancied that, since the strong 
human hand so lately working here had stiffened in death, 
each friendly busy elf had pulled his cap over his peevish face 
and slipped away. 

The doctor drew the young girl towards him before he 
opened the gate. “ I seem to be leading you into exile,” he 
said, anxiously. “ You ought not to give me the pain of 
knowing you alone after this sad and weary day. Come with 
me ; my aunt will be only too happy to receive and take care 
of you.” 

“ No, no !” she said, hurriedly. “ Do not think that I shall 
resign myself to a passion of useless grief when I am alone. 
I have no time for it, and I shall not do so. I must,” and she 
pointed to the bow-window, where the dim light of a lamp 


AT THE COUNCILLOR'S. 


341 


began to shine behind the chintz curtain, “ play the part of 
comforter there. Those four poor people are dependent upon 
my energy and assistance.” 

“ Dear, dear Kitty 1” he said, clasping her right hand in 
both his own and pressing it to his breast. “ Go then in God’s 
name I I should hold it a crime to place one stone in the hard 
but sure path you have chosen through your present suffering. 
Only remember that you are not yet quite recovered. Do not 
make too great a demand upon your strength ; and wear the 
bandage upon your forehead for a few days longer. And now 
farewell : at Easter, when the last wintry mist has flown, when 
the ice and snow are thawed, when human hearts throb joy- 
ously, — at Easter I shall return. Until then, think of one 
whose every thought is yours, and do not let slander or mis- 
trust come between us !” 

“ Never !” This one word came almost like a groan from 
her lips. She withdrew the hand he pressed to his lips, and 
the gate in the wall clanged to behind her. She took no step 
forward ; leaning against the cold damp wall, her face buried 
in her hands, she listened breathlessly to his departing foot- 
steps. What was death in comparison with the tortures of 
this wildly-beating heart condemned to live ? She listened 
until the soft night air, brushing her cheek, brought no sound 
upon its wings, and then, with tearless, weary eyes, she passed 
on into the house, to enter upon her mission of comforter and 
protector. 

Three days later, immediately after Henrictte’s burial, 
Doctor Bruck and his aunt left the capital. Kitty had not 
fit 3 en the doctor again, but his aunt had repeatedly passed an 
hour with her. The same day Flora left also, accompanied by 
the Frau President. The old lady was to visit the baths ; and 
Flora went to Zurich, where, report said, she was to devote 
herself for a time to the study of medicine. 

29 * 


342 


AT THE GOUNCILLOHS. 


CHAPTER XXIX. 

More than a year had passed since the day in March when 
Kitty Mangold, grandchild and sole heir of the wealthy castle 
miller, had been walking upon the high-road from the town t n 
her way to present herself at her guardian the councillor’s in 
her new character of heiress. 

Those who now turned aside into the by-road leading to the 
mill found upon their right a row of pretty little cottages, that 
belonged to the workmen in the factory, and had been erected 
upon the waste portion of the mill-garden, — the strip of land 
that Kitty had begged of her guardian for the convenience of 
these men. And the townspeople liked much to walk in 
this direction. Formerly the high massive wall enclosing the 
mill-grounds had cast its shade so far that the footpath beneath 
it was almost always damp and had long been avoided. Now 
the wall had gone, and the pretty path was planted with 
acacias. The cottages looked neat and trim, with their air 
of Dutch cleanliness, the pretty porch in front of each, and 
the small gardens which had been planted the previous autumn 
with all kinds of flowering shrubs. 

Behind them loomed the castle mill, hoary with age, its 
windows looking in the opposite direction, as if angry that its 
ancient mantle of green had been thus bordered with gay em- 
broidery. It had undergone no alteration, save that the shabby 
old dial had been brightened, and the little gate leading through 
the wall into the adjacent park had been walled up. There 
was no longer any connection between the mill and the former 
estate of the vanished Yon Baumgartens from whom the old 
structure had derived its high-sounding title. But the deaf- 
ening noise, the throbbing heart of the old pile went on with 


AT THE COUNCILLORS. 


343 


rejuvenated vigour, and the road to the mill-yard was more fre- 
quented than ever,— the masterless business was directed by a 
firm cool hand and a prudent head. Kitty’s undertaking 
had been attended with success. She had found an experi- 
enced foreman, and poor Lenz, the merchant who had lost his 
all, was her assistant book-keeper. 

She set herself to work in the office she had fitted up in 
the mill, to learn the mysteries of business, and her thorougli 
education and excellent capacity soon enabled her to acquire 
all that Lenz could teach. She did actually work like a man, 
‘ day by day the business increased, and produced such 
results as would have astonished the old castle miller him- 
self. And the sight of the contented faces about her smoothed 
the rough path she had chosen to tread. She had taken 
charge of poor Franz’s widow and orphans, giving them rooms 
for life in a small out-building of the mill, which she had 
fitted up for their occupation. The wonaan continued, as 
heretofore, to assist Susy in her housekeeping, while the chil- 
dren received such an education as their father, whose mind 
had been occupied entirely with material considerations, had 
never dreamed of giving them. 

It was true that of all the vast wealth left behind him by 
the castle miller nothing remained for Kitty but the mill and 
a few thousand thalers which she had induced her guardian 
to allow her to lend to the workmen to enable them to build 
their cottages upon the mill-land. Her hundreds of thousands 
had vanished in the flames, and the small amount of gold and 
silver recovered in a melted condition from beneath the ruins 
was far more likely to be the remains of tankards and platters 
than of coin. In the disastrous confusion that followed the 
explosion there were many creditors whose claims even the 
real estate and valuable collections were not sufficient to satisfy; 
the failure proved to be one of the worst and most hopeless 
that occurred in that time of ruin and uncertainty. Villa and 


d44 


AT THE COUNCILLOR'S. 


park passed again into the hands of an old and noble family, 
and the new owner had the ruins of the ancient tower cleared 
away, the ditch filled up, and even the artificial mound levelled, 
that there might be nothing upon the aristocratic soil to bring 
to mind the miserable parvenu who had there met his wretched 
and disgraceful death. And the ancient wooden arched bridge 
leading across the stream to the house by the river was also 
destroyed. The doctor’s house was now reached by a stone 
bridge, crossing the river near the factory, and a pretty foot- 
path along the opposite shore. 

The house, which had been completely restored late in the 
autumn, was still unoccupied ; the Frau Dean’s old friend had 
passed the winter in the doctor’s former town-house, and was 
to move out only with the return of fine spring weather. 
Kitty used to stroll hither almost every day. Although the 
autumn mists hung dank and chill, although snow-flakes filled 
the air, and the wind blew keen from the north, at the ap- 
proach of twilight she would lay aside her pen, put on her 
wraps, and sally forth into the open air. 

Then for half an hour she would throw away all thought 
of the columns of figures, the dry business details in which 
she sought all day to bury her warm, longing heart. She was 
no longer the strict mistress, whose watchful eye never over- 
looked the smallest irregularity, who exacted a rigid perform- 
ance of duty from' herself as well as from her people, in- 
ducing it in the latter case by such a judicious mixture of 
praise and blame that no harsh word was ever needed from 
her lips. At this twilight hour she was only the young ardent 
girl, who, hard and stern as she might be to the passion that 
possessed her soul, still permitted herself some moments of 
dreaming melancholy, of unrestrained suffering. 

Then she would pass through the narrow, creaking wicket- 
gate leading out into the fields ; the gate to which, after the 
attack in the forest, she, with Ilenriette in her arms, had bent 


AT THE COUNCILLOR'S. 


345 


her weary steps. As she reached the moss-grown fragment 
of a pedestal in the centre of the grassy lawn, li^side which 
she had stood with Bruck, she would pass her hand lightly 
over it, as if in a caress, and then seek the spot where the 
garden-table had stood, where the doctor, as she now knew, 
had so suffered for her sake. She walked around the lonely 
house, with its closed shutters, its new unblackened chimneys, 
and its creaking weather-cock, to mount the damp, slippery 
steps and listen at the house-door. Through the key-hole came 
the soft, low sigh caused by the draught of air sweeping 
through the wide hall, the withered vines about the doorway 
rustled, and now and then a belated sparrow would dart in be- 
neath the eaves. This was the only sign of life stirring in the 
loneliness, but the girl looked for it eagerly ; at least the silence 
was not that of the grave. The right to open this door be- 
longed to beloved hands, and some day footsteps would resound 
within and dear faces look from the windows ; this was sure, 
although Kitty, at the thought of it, told herself that then 
she should leave her home and wander afar, until — Bruck 
should conduct hither some bride to whose hand she might 
confide the ring. 

His career in L was a brilliant one. His reputation 

spread from day to day. Large and distinguished audiences 
attended his lectures, and several fortunate cures, of which 
the objects were individuals of high rank, were everywhere 
talked of. His aunt’s letters to Kitty — she wrote frequently — 
breathed peace aud content ; they were a source of immense 
enjoyment to the young girl, but also of terrible mental con- 
flict, for which reason she replied but seldom and briefly. 
The doctor himself never wrote, — he adhered strictly to his 
promise not to assail her with entreaties, and contented himself 
by sending some message of remembrance, which she kindly 
and punctually reciprocated. 

In this solitude hei young life passed, d> y ailer day. She 

p* 


346 


AT THE COUNCILLOR'S. 


never dreamed that she was a subject of great interest in the 
town, that her bold assertion of her independence, her resolute 
and energetic assumption of authority at the head of her 
affairs, excited far more attention and respect than had ever 
been awarded to the heiress. The distinction thus falling to 
her lot was the cause of a series of visits to the castle mill, 
of which the first when paid was received with no little aston- 
ishment. The Frau President Urach when walking with her 
faithful maid no longer disdained to make the mill a resting- 
place, in order, “ as her duty to her poor dear lost Mangold 
required, to look after his youngest child.” 

The old lady had returned to the capital a few weeks after 
her departure from the villa. She occupied a couple of rooms 
very high up in a narrow little street, living in a pinched way, 
in accordance with her very small means, and half forgotten 
by the world. The councillor of medicine. Yon Bar, had pur- 
chased a country-seat, and grumbling turned his back upon 
the capital ; for her he had vanished entirely, and of all her 
former acquaintance her only visitors were some few of the 
friends of her youth and the pensioned Colonel von Griese, who 
sometimes came to play cards with her. 

She suddenly found it very comfortable “ in this fine old 
room in the castle mill, where there is really space to breathe 
in,” and, weary with her walk, she would seat herself con- 
tentedly in the old-fashioned chintz-covered sofa, that had once 
sustained the castle miller’s burly form, and enjoy the delicious 
coffee which Kitty always prepared for her, making no sort of 
remonstrance when Susy, at a nod from her young mistress, 
hung upon the maid’s arm a basket filled with fresh butter 
and eggs. 

It was best not to speak to her of Flora, who of course 
had not lost one penny of her fortune, and who now indeed 
paid the rent of her grandmother’s rooms and the wages of 
her maid, but could do nothing more, since, as she wrote, she 


AT THE COUNCILLORS. 


347 


needed all the rest of her income for herself, and could hardly 
manage to live upon it. She had soon quitted Zurich, where 
the study of “ that disgusting medicine irritated the nerves 
almost to madness.” She was one of those intellectual co- 
quettes who pose for a certain part, greedy for notoriety and 
a reputation for profound and thorough attainment, while in 
reality they recoil from the slightest amount of genuine serious 
study. 

Easter was at hand. For several weeks improvements had 
been going on in the garden of the house by the river. The 

doctor had sent a gardener from L , who laid out new 

paths, or rather tried to restore the pretty old garden to its 
original plan. Many men were busy digging and planting, and 
places were arranged for some statues which had arrived from 

L and were still unpacked in the hall. The shutters of 

the house had been thrown open for two weeks ; the rooms 
had been freshly painted and papered, and a flag-pole had been 
erected upon the roof Then the Frau Dean’s friend moved 
out from town, bringing with her a host of charwomen, who 
made the house a shining mirror of neatness and cleanliness 
from garret to cellar. 

Kitty had not discontinued her walks. On the very day 
before Easter she same hither once more, at noon. The men 
were still at work in the garden, but the evergreens that had 
overgrown the land belonging to the house, forming here and 
there an impenetrable thicket, had been thinned and left only 
within the boundaries first assigned them, while from among 
their dark foliage gleamed the new statues. The winding 
paths were freshly gravelled, the old creaking wooden gate 
had been replaced by one of wrought iron ; the Frau Dean’s 
arbour had been freshly painted, and behind the house a high 
picket-fence enclosed a new poultry-yard. 

Upon the familiar stone pedestal before the door stood a 


348 


AT THE COUNCILLORS. 


Terpsichore with arms gracefully extended, just as Kitty had 
imagined her from the remains of the little marble foot. 

“ The statue is very pretty,” the strange gardener said to 
her with a shrug, “ but it ought to be more elegantly placed. 
This lawn,” and he looked around upon the old bleachiiig- 
ground, “is quite wild, by no means in proper order, but 
the Herr Professor strictly forbade my touching it.” Kitty 

oped with crimson cheeks and plucked the first violet, 
which had opened fully in all its fragrance at the base of 
the pedestal. “ Yes, the grass is full of weeds,” the man said 
over his shoulder, as he walked on. 

And the house, now really a little castle, actually shone with 
freshness and beauty — “ fitted up as if for a bride,” the Frau 
Dean’s old friend remarked to Kitty with an unsuspecting 
smile. The snow-white kitten came softly to the door over 
the new tiles of the hall. In the Frau Dean’s sitting-room, 
behind the crocheted curtains, in the midst of the laurels and 
large-leaved plants that had been moved out from town, the 
canary-bird piped his clear shrill song. The former life was 
beginning here anew, and the Frau Dean herself was to arrive 
by the afternoon train. She was to bring a guest with her, 
her old friend had remarked with a mysterious twinkle of the 
eye ; who it was she did not know, but she had been commis- 
sioned to provide the guest-chamber with new furniture. And 
as she spoke she threw open the folding-doors leading into it 
from the hall, and tears filled Kitty’s eyes as she thought of 
Henriette, who had lain here in such pain, and yet peaceful 
and happy as never before in her sad life. But even while 
her thoughts were thus occupied she was conscious of a sharp, 
unfamiliar pang of jealousy. Who was this guest who had 
become so dear to the Frau Dean’s heart that she had been 
invited to stay with her ? 

The gay rose-covered curtains and the hanging-baskets filled 
their old places, but the rickety furniture had made way for 


AT THE COUNCILLORS. 


349 


wnat was new and pretty, although very simple, and instead 
of the faded illustrations of Vosz’s “ Luise” some fine landscapes 
hung upon the freshly-papered walls. The well-remembered 
room had been converted into a pretty sitting-room, and an 
adjoining cabinet that had formerly stood empty had been 
arranged for a sleeping-apartment. 

All this Kitty looked at once more, with tear-dimmed eyes, 
and then walked home to place herself at her desk and answer 
•everal business letters. Lenz was to return in the evening 
from a business trip he had undertaken, and his young mistress 
was anxious to have all in readiness to be entrusted to his 
hands while she spent the next fortnight with her foster- 
parents in Dresden. 

Ah, how difficult it was to fix her attention ! Her pulses 
throbbed, and the handwriting, usually so clear and firm, 
looked scrawled and careless. She was interrupted too by the 
Frau President’s maid, who came with a large empty market- 
basket on her arm, on her way to make her Easter purchases 
of provisions, and the Frau President had told her, since it 
was only a little out of her road, to stop at the mill and give 
Fraulein Kitty Fraulein Flora’s letter to read. It had just 
come. 

Susy was immediately instructed to fill the basket with all 
sorts of delicacies from her pantry, but the letter lay untouched 
upon Fraulein Kitty’s writing-table long after the maid had 
returned to her mistress. 

The Frau President had several times previously sent the 
young girl her step-sister’s letters. The sheets had seemed 
to burn beneath her touch, but she had dutifully read them 
through that she might not seem ill-natured. And now a 
flickering flame seemed creeping towards her from the perfumed 
envelope lying near her elbow. Impatiently she moved her 
arm and pushed it beneath a pile of bill-headings. She could 
not see why, to-day, she should give herself the pain that the 
30 


S50 


AT THE COUNCILLOR'S. 


reading of these letters always caused her, made up as the^ 
were of frivolity, arrogance, and conceit. 

She took up her pen again, but only for a few moments. 
In her agitation she bent her head, as towards a protecting 
talisman, over the violet she had just placed in a tiny vase of 
wa'c-er, and inhaled its sweet cooling fragrance ; she went to 
her piano and played a soothing, peaceful air ; she opened onf 
of the windows and stroked the tame doves perched upon the 
sill, trying to persuade herself meanwhile that the sending of 
the letter was in fact only a masked advance upon her pantry ^ 
— but there must have been an evil spell in the mischievous 
envelope. She could no longer resist the impulse to open it, 
but pushed aside the pile of papers, and removed the cover. 

As she did so a sealed enclosure fell from it. She did not 
notice it : her eyes wandering over the first page opened wide 
in amazement, and involuntarily, strong girl as she was, she 
grasped at some support. Flora wrote thus from Berlin : 

“ You will laugh and exult, dear grandmamma, but 

I now see that it is best, — ^an hour ago I was betrothed to 
your former favourite, Karl von Stetten. He is uglier and 
more awkward than ever, and his bull-dog physiognomy is 
not improved by the blue spectacles he has lately begun to 
wear. Fi done — I shall never be very proud to walk by his 
side, but his dog-like constancy to his really insane passion for 
me has moved me at last, and since through the unexpected 
death of his young cousin he has suddenly fallen heir to 
Lingen and Stromberg, and stands very well at court here and 
in society, I really had no further objection to make ” 

The letter was tossed upon the table. Bruck was free, — no 
longer fettered so that he could not come to the castle mill. 
Ah, what a change after all these seven terrible months of 
torture, of effort to train and bend her stubborn heart, — to 
scourge each wandering thought so that she might attain at 
last to the strong stoicism that would enable her calmly to 


AT THE COUNCILLOR'S. 


351 


transfer the hated ring to the hand of his betrothed, and then 
to pursue her own course, lonely but blameless ! 

She covered her eyes with her hand, as if some phantom 
had appeared in the midst of her bewildering delight. 
Perhaps she had not read the words aright I Could it be 
so ? Flora was betrothed ? At the eleventh hour, after so 
many unsuccessful attempts to achieve fame, was she taking 
refuge in matrimony ? Kitty again took up the thick per- 
fumed sheet, — yes, yes, there it really was in the “ sprawling 
hand.” And then followed long and exact instructions as 
to how the betrothal was to be announced in the capital ; 
and there was much talk of the marriage, which was to take 
place upon Easter Monday. Then came the invitation to 
her grandmamma to be present. This was all as clear as 
daylight; but the girl grew deadly pale and felt faint and 
sick as she read on. Flora wrote further : 

“On my way to Berlin I stopped for a day or two at L . 

It will interest, you to hear that a certain Hofrath and Pro- 
fessor has achieved not only name and fame, but also won tihe 
heart of a fair countess. I was everywhere told that he has 
been privately betrothed to this charming patient of his, whose 
cure he effected after her case had been given over as hope- 
less by all other physicians. The noble parents are abun- 
dantly content with their daughter’s choice, and the dear and 
pious old aunt has not refused to bestow her blessing upon the 
pair., I saw her seated beside them in a box at the theatre, 
as eminently peaceful and virtuous as ever, wearing, if I am 
not mistaken, cotton gloves upon her hands. The girl is very 
pretty, — a doll’s face with no expression. And he? — I can 
speak out to you, grandmamma, and confess that I bit my lip 
until it bled, with vexation that stupid chance should have 
made this man the object of universal homage and considera- 
tion, and that he could stand there behind th: chair of his 
betrothed so calm and self-assured, as if all this distinction 


352 


AT THE COUNCILLOR’S. 


were his by right, and as if he knew nothing of weakness oi 
dishonour ! Let Kitty have the enclosed note- ” 

Yes, there it lay, closely sealed, upon the writing-table, 
bearing the address, “ Kitty Mangold.” The room grew dim 
about her, and the slip of paper trembled in the hands that 
shook as if with a fever-fit. It contained only these words : 

“ Have the kindness to deliver to the Countess Witte the 
ring entrusted to you, or, if you choose, throw it into the river 
after the other ! Flora.” 

Kitty suddenly grew calm ; mechanically she folded up the 
note and laid it with the letter. Was the beautiful countess 
the guest for whom the guest-chamber had been prepared? 
She shook her head decidedly, and her brown eyes began to 
beam brightly as she clasped her hands upon her throbbing 
breast. Was she worthy ever to look him in the face again 
if she could doubt him for an instant? He had said, “I 
shall come at Easter ;” and he would come, although the most 
brilliant eloquence should persuade her to the contrary. She 
would believe nothing save that he loved her and that he 
would come. No, no, a haughty lord might have the heart 
to present to his former love a proud new mistress of his 
home ; I ut not he, — he in his singleness of soul. He would 
not break his promise to the miller’s granddaughter for the 
sake of another, even were that other a countess. 

An ecstasy possessed her soul in which all thought seemed 
lost. She fiew to the southern window to get one glimpse 
of the dear old house. A gay flag was floating above its rcof 
Had the guests arrived, then? Should she hasten to embrace 
the dean’s widow ? No, agitated as she was, she could not go. 
She must banish the traitorous colour from her cheeks and 
quiet the throbbing of her heart before she could meet the 
gentle lady’s clear kindly eye. Rest, rest I She went to her 
writing-tabl 


AT THE COUNCILLORS. 


353 


The huge ledger lay open upon it ; in that drawer were six 
business letters which ought to he answered to-day ; and she 
could hear the rumbling 'in the court-yard below of one of the 
clumsy mill-wagons laden with grain. The dogs were hark- 
ing furiously at a beggar to whom Susy was throwing a piece 
of bread from her window. Here was enough of prosaic realit}'. 
And the rude pictures, which, as they had formerly been the 
objects of her grandfather’s admiration, still adorned the 
walls, were as little calculated to excite emotion as the stout 
stuffed cushion of the sofa above which they hung, or the 
tall Schwarzwald clock standing stiff and straight against the 
wall, swinging its weary pendulum behind the ground glass. 

The young girl’s glance lingered among all these glories, till 
finally she took a sheet of paper and dipped her pen in the ink. 
“ Messrs. Schilling & Co., Hamburg,” — oh, no one would be 
able to read that ! In despair she passed her hand over her 
forehead, parting the brown curls so that a faint crimson scar 
was disclosed. Thus she sat for a moment, motionless, her 
left hand covering her eyes, her right still holding the rebel- 
lious pen. Suddenly she felt a cool air upon her cheek ; the 
draught came from an open door or window; she looked up, and 
there he stood upon the topmost step of the small flight leading 
into the room, smiling and radiant with the joy of return. 

“ Leo 1 I knew it!” she exclaimed ; and, throwing down her 
pen, she ran towards him and was clasped in his arms. 

Susy came running from the hall. What was the matter? 
The door was wide open, and she had heard the cry. She 
stood open-mouthed ; the corner of her blue apron, with which 
she had been about to wipe her heated forehead, dropped froni 
her hand in dismay, for there upon the well-scoured boards of 
her sacred castle-mill room stood Doctor Bruck, clasping her 
Fraulein in his arms as if he never in his life meant to release 
her. Lord save us ! if they were betrothed no one knew it. 

She cautiously crept nearer to close the door, but Kitty saw 
X 30* 


354 


A7’ THE COUNCILLORS. 


her, and with a burning blush tried to extricate herself Irom 
her lover’s embrace. 

The doctor laughed, the gay musical laugh of former times, 
and held her fast. “ No, Kitty, you came, to be sure, of your 
own accord, but I cannot trust you yet,” he said. “I should 
be a fool to give you a chance of transforming yourself into a 
vister again. Come in, Susy,” he cried over his shoulder to 
the old housekeeper; “you must witness the fact that we 
are betrothed, before I can let her go.” 

Susy wiped her eyes, and was profuse in her congratulations, 
after which she hurried across the court-yard to tell the news 
to her gossip and crony, poor Franz’s widow, lamenting at the 
same time that the good times at the mill were nearly over, 
since the Fraulein was to be married. 

The doctor went to the writing-table and solemnly closed 
the huge ledger. “ The career of the lovely miller’s maiden 
is at an end, for — Easter has come,” he said. “ How I have 
counted the days of this time of probation, which I myself 
ordained that I might not lose you altogether ! You cannot tell 
how hard it is to live on from hour to hour in uncertainty, 
when the whole happiness of life is at stake. My only con- 
solation I found in your letters to my aunt, in which, in spite 
of the character and force of will that they showed, I fancied 
I could detect your love. But how few and short they were !” 
He took her hand and drew her towards him again. “ I knew 
that a time of renunciation must intervene between the un- 
happy past and my complete happiness ; I bore in mind all 
your sorrow for your sister ; but to this hour I have never 
been able to understand why you would have renounced me 
forever and lived a lonely unblessed existence.” He paused 
suddenly, and his face flushed, — there beside the closed ledger 
lay a folded note ; he knew the large uncertain characters only 
too well : such missives had frequently been sent him in the 
early days of his former engagement. 


AT THE COUNCILLOR’S. 


365 


Firmly Kitty laid her hand upon the paper. Why expose 
this detestable intrigue ? Let it lie buried forever ; there 
was no longer any obstacle in the way of her happiness. But 
the doctor gravely drew the note from beneath her detaining 
fingers. “There must be no secret between us, Kitty,” he 
aiaid, “ and this seems to be one.” 

He read, and then insisted upon a full confession. Kitty 
told him of what she had endured, and through it all he could 
not but gratefully perceive the depth of the unselfish affection 
that would have foregone the happiness of an entire future to 
secure his freedom. 

“ And what about the lovely Countess Witte ? I thought 
she was coming with your aunt to take possession of the guest- 
chamber,” Kitty said at last, smiling through her tears, wish- 
ing to change the current of thought which deprived her lover 
of all his wonted composure. She succeeded : he laughed. 

“/shall take possession of the guest-chamber,” he replied. 
“ I had reasons for not advising you beforehand of the time 
of my arrival, and I see they were good. As regards the 
young countess, she was an inmate of our household for three 
months while under my professional care, and is perhaps 
slightly demonstrative in the expression of her gratitude for 
the cure I was happily able to effect, — that is all. You will 
see her in a fortnight, when, my darling, I propose to bear 

away my bride to L . Ours has been a long betrothal, 

— seven months ! Will you not consent to kneel before the 
altar there?” — he pointed through the window to the spire 
of the neighbouring village church, — “ I always had such an 
affection for that place.” 

“ You shall take me whither you will,” she said, softly^ 
“but I have duties here ” 

“Nonsense! the ledger is closed, and your faithful Lenz can 
say what is right to ‘Schilling & Co.,’ Hamburg.” 

She laughed. “Well, then, command, and I obey!” she 


356 


AT THE COUNCILLORS, 


rejoined. “ I will retire ; — good news for Lenz, who will rent 
the mill and soon make good his losses.” 

They left the house, and Kitty, leaning on the doctor’s arm, 
walked along the path she had traversed so often in the 
wintry weather. To-day it was delicious to wander there 
beneath the arching, budding boughs. The soft willow buds 
brushed the girl’s glowing cheeks; a gentle evening breeze 
was blowing, and the stream flowed rippling between banks 
clothed in the tender green of early spring. The park lay 
beyond, quiet and grand as ever ; they saw the swans slowly 
gliding upon the lake, and high above the tops of the trees 
a blue-and-yellow flag fluttered from the roof of the villa 
The lord of the mansion was at home. 

What a tide of recollections flooded the two hearts that had 
just plighted their troth for time and for eternity ! 

“ Do you know,” whispered the doctor, “ that they say Moritz 
has been seen in America ?” 

She nodded. “A few days ago Franz’s widow received 
five hundred thalers from an anonymous friend in California. 
She cannot imagine who her benefactor is ; but I know him.” 
And she told Leo of the light-bearded workman who had 
driven away the roes to save them from a cruel death because 
they had been his pets in former happy days. 

There stood the dear old house in the fading evening light. 
The labourers had left the garden. A solemn silence brooded 
over it all, the statues gleamed white among the evergreens, 
and the dean’s widow came down the steps from the hall-door 
her arms extended to clasp to her motherly heart her “ own 
dearest Kitty,” whose love she had so long prayed might 
bless her darling. 

Deep and full came the sound of the chimes in the distant 
town ; they were ringing in — Easter I 


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MAR 2S 1904 


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LIBRARY OF CXINGRESS 





